Fire & Rescue Agenda

Steve Apter, QFSM Consultant | Former UK Chief Fire Officer

Lt. Col. Dr Essa Ahmed Al Mutawa, Chief AI Officer & Head of Monitoring & Inspection | Directorate General of Dubai Civil Defence

Major Engineer. Ali Almadfaei, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority

• Cladding Overhaul in UAE Buildings: Reasons behind the widespread replacement of combustible cladding materials in UAE buildings, exploring the timeline, scope, and challenges associated with this massive renovation project.
• Impact on Building Safety and Compliance: Effectiveness of new cladding regulations in enhancing fire safety standards and mitigating risks posed by combustible materials, discussing measures taken to retrofit existing structures and ensure compliance with updated requirements.
• The practical challenges faced by developers, contractors, and building owners in transitioning to compliant cladding systems, highlighting opportunities for innovation and collaboration in the construction industry.

Moderator:
Abdullah Faza, Director of Fire & Life Safety – ME | AESG

Speaker:

• Colonel Issa Abdullah Al Marzouqi, Director of the Rescue and Fire Department | Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority
• Eng. Salma Humaid Saeed, Head of drawings and projects section, Directorate General | Dubai Civil Defence

Datu Khirudin Drahman, Deputy Fire Commissioner | Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia

Rob MacDougall, Chief Fire Officer & Director of Community Safety | Oxfordshire County Council

Over the past 3 years, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) has responded to over 1,000 fires. Involving lithium-ion batteries. This presentation will describe the FDNY’s ongoing efforts to meet the fire safety challenges of this rapidly evolving technology, with a specific focus on the following areas:

• Implementing a data-driven approach to identifying and categorizing fires involving a lithium-ion battery in NYC and efficiently deploying resources for emergency response, fire prevention, and community education.
• Developing and executing a safe and efficient emergency response operating procedure, which addresses extinguishment of lithium-ion battery fires, hazard assessment of burned or damaged batteries, and the safe removal and proper packaging of damaged batteries for disposal.
• Building an inter-organizational network to coordinate the eHorts of the various stakeholders in the green energy sphere, such as other government agencies, academic institutions, non-profit advocacy groups, and representatives from private industry.

Speakers:

• Captain Matthew Quinn, Lead Officer - Emerging Technologies HazMat Operations | New York City Fire Department
• Lt. John Cassidy, Emerging Technologies HazMat Operations | New York City Fire Department

Analysing how shifting climate patterns are influencing fire risks and management strategies globally and in the Middle East

Moderator:
Steve Apter QFSM Consultant | Former UK Chief Fire Officer

Speakers:

• Paul Jennings, Assistant Fire Commissioner, Fire and Rescue Services, Operations | Red Sea Global
• Dana Nassif, Senior Consultant - Fire & Life Safety | WSP Middle East

• What you need to know about the Aerosol Technology
• Industries and Applications where Aerosols make a Difference
• Concerns about the Environment
• Government Agencies’ Impact on the Fire Protection Industry

Lance Harry, P.E., Chief Executive Officer/President | Stat X

Hazard assessments play a vital role in identifying fire and explosion risks in industrial facilities. However, these assessments often result in thick reports that detail risks without providing specific steps on how to address them. This panel will focus on how to make hazard assessments more effective by not only identifying problems but also offering practical solutions that companies can act on immediately. The goal is to help facilities bridge the gap between “knowing the problem” and “solving the problem.”

Moderator:
Ihab Farag, Managing Director | Fike Corporation

Speakers:

• Adam Batz, Manager Global Consulting | Fike Corporation
• Eng. Salma Humaid Saeed, Head of drawings and projects section | Directorate General of Dubai Civil Defence
• Alexander Castellanos, Head of Fire and Life Safety | AtkinsRéalis

Traditional hazard mitigation systems generally follow one of two approaches. The first is the “single-source” solution, where facilities rely on products from a single vendor, limiting the range of available technology to one provider’s catalogue. The second is a “multi-source” approach, where multiple vendors are used, often resulting in a disjointed system that may not work well together. Both approaches can leave gaps in hazard monitoring, analysis, and response, making it difficult to fully assess safety needs and slowing down response times.

Speakers:

• Rick Jeffress, Technical Director | Fike Corporation
• Ihab Farag, Managing Director | Fike Corporation

FM Approvals

Through our participation in various fire-stopping industry associations and technical meetings, we identified a key gap in training and quality regarding engineering judgment providers who often lack mastery of relevant certification requirements. In response, we have developed a technical evaluation developer program to improve the content and quality of engineering judgments.

Moderator:
Ghaith Bakir, Senior Regulatory Engineer-MEA | UL Solutions

Speakers:

• Capt. Eng. Mohamed Alhanaee, Civil Protection Department | Abu Dhabi Civil Defense Authority
• Abhishek Chhabra, Director of International Initiatives | FCIA
• Selenay Gozde Simsek, Senior Consultant - Fire & Life Safety | WSP

Eng. Youssef Boksmati, Support & Development Director | Riyadh Second Health Cluster

The necessity of providing knowledge and information before readiness and response to deal with emergencies and crises cannot be overlooked. It is essential to equip those affected with scientific knowledge before calling on them to take precautionary measures to handle emergencies, in order to prevent their escalation into crises that can be properly managed to minimize human, economic, and environmental losses, and perhaps avoid the need for external assistance and the declaration of a disaster.

Professor Eng. Naill AlMomani, Emergency and Crises Management Senior Manager, Royal Commission for AlUla

Wafaa Khairy Albaz CFPS, Certified Fire Protection Specialist, Senior Firefighting Engineer | General Petroleum Company "GPC"

This exciting new security system provides:

• Significant advances in camera technology and image analysis with the help of artificial intelligence that make the early and reliable fire detection with video and thermal imaging cameras possible.
• The opportunity to immediately detect the development of fire, smoke, flames and heat within large natural areas like forests but also in storage halls with critical raw materials or in recycling facilities.
• The standardization level at ISO has made significant progress in the last months. In 2024 the ISO 7240-29:2024 was published specifying the requirements, test methods and performance criteria for video fire detectors.
• Institutions like the UL in the USA have published 2024 new guidelines for the use of video-based systems. In Germany, the VdS will publish new guidelines within the next months.

Tim Dünnemann, Manager Safety & Security Technologies | ZVEI

This presentation is a case study exploring the UK Government's search & rescue response to the Turkiye/Syria earthquake and how these key decisions contributed to the most successful rescue mission in the UK-ISAR team's 25-year history.

• Go, or no go?
• Do your 360-degree assessment
• Doing 'the most for the most'
• Empowerment
• Time to go home

David O’Neill | Institute of Search & Technical Rescue

Enhancing Means of Escape for People with Disabilities and Vulnerable Populations through Accessible Design, Compliance Infrastructure, and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans

Vasileios C. Psilopoulos, Senior Field Compliance Coordinator | King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra)

Dana Kamal, MENA Director | NFPA

Speakers:

• Nasser Alefari, Civil Protection | Abu Dhabi Civil Defense
• Captain Eng. Omar Aljarraf, CFPE | Abu Dhabi Civil Defense

Lt. Col. Dr Essa Ahmed Al Mutawa, Chief AI Officer & Head of Monitoring & Inspection | Directorate General of Dubai Civil Defence

Moderator:

Zahi Daher, Manager – Saudi | NFPA

Panelists:

• Mohamed Saeefan, Fire Protection Engineering Specialist | Saudi Aramco
• Paul Calderwood, President | Calderwood Consulting International
• Majed Ahli, Senior Security Manager | Dubai Holding Group
• Majed Al Maashari, Safety Protection Services Company Manager | Oman SSS

Revolutionizing Safety: The Role of Automated Emergency Response Systems in Oil and Gas Industry

Jazyah Al Dossary, Fire Protection Engineer | Saudi Aramco

Utilizing the NFPA Fire and Life Safety Ecosystem as a framework for evaluating needs and opportunities for improving safety.

Sawsan Dahham, CEO, Siena

Speakers:

• Eng Aiydh AL Qahtani, Director | Saudi Facilities Management Association
• Eng Ahmed Al Sayed | Saudi Facilities Management Association

Richard Pearson, CPDO | Omniconn

Speaker and workshop facilitator:

• Mahmoud EL-Kady, CEO - MEA Region | QHSEE Platform
• Ammar Alaa ElDin Hamad Mohamed, Business Support Manager | QHSEE Platform
• Mohamed Wahid Abdel Rahman

1. Incepting Fire & Life Safety
2.  Passive Fire Protection
3. DIIM – The Standard Approach to Effective Implementation

Abhishek Chhabra, Director International Initiatives | FCIA

Moderator:
Abhishek Chhabra, Director of International Initiatives, FCIA

Speaker:
Susan Lamont, Director, Fire Group Leader Middle East, Arup

Elevate your comprehension of crucial fire safety standards and their real-world applications in the dynamic realms of construction and engineering.

Speaker:
Ahmed Yousry, Senior Associate - Business Development, Emirates Safety Laboratory, ESL 

Speaker:
Dr. Sebastian Ukleja, Operations Manager – Testing, Emirates Safety Laboratory, ESL

Moderator:
Tamara Arafat, Certification Business Manager, Emirates Safety Laboratory, ESL 

Speakers:

• Eng. Salma Humaid Saeed, Head of Drawings and Projects section, Directorate General of Dubai Civil Defence
• Dana Kamal, MENA Director, The National Fire Protection Association, NFPA
• Sawsan Dahham, CEO, Siena