KFF deploys Unimog vehicles, high-capacity pumps for rainy season
- Unimog vehicles bolster Kuwait’s flood response, can draw more than 70,000 litres of water per minute
- Fire Force urges homeowners to prepare for rain and flooding; to maintain water pumps, keep drainage pits clear and ensure pump capacity matches basement size
- In worse situations disconnect electricity to the affected floor and move to higher floors and call 112
The Kuwait Fire Force has completed preparations for the rainy season, equipping fire stations across Kuwait with specialised vehicles, rescue boats, winches and water pumps to respond to flooding, rescue stranded motorists and other emergencies.
Brigadier General Muhammad Al-Gharib, KFF director of Public Relations and Media Department, told Al-Rai that the Unimog vehicle can operate in water up to 1.2 metres deep and is equipped with a small rescue boat, front and rear winches to pull out trapped vehicles, and a platform for transporting rescued people.
Fire stations are also equipped with regular and submersible pumps, while a specialised high-capacity pump can draw more than 70,000 litres of water per minute and discharge it up to half a kilometre away.
Al-Gharib said expected emergencies include people and vehicles trapped in floodwater, electrical fires caused by short circuits and passengers trapped in elevators during power outages. Homeowners have been urged to maintain water pumps, keep drainage pits clear and ensure pump capacity matches basement size.
Where parking areas connect to basements, barriers should be installed to prevent rainwater from seeping in. If water levels rise inside a home, residents should alert everyone, clear the ground floor and basement, disconnect electricity to the affected floor through the main circuit breaker, move to higher floors and call 112 if there is danger.
Accurate location details, including a location shared by phone, can help emergency crews respond faster. With the camping season underway, fire crews are stationed at designated camping areas and fire stations across the governorates.
Campers are advised to maintain at least five metres between tents, use good-quality electrical wiring and keep lights, heaters and other heat sources away from tent walls and roofs. Kitchens should be placed at least 10 metres from the rest of the campsite and housed in corrugated metal structures.
Charcoal must never be used inside tents without proper ventilation, and people must not sleep with burning charcoal inside. It should be completely extinguished and buried before disposal. Al-Gharib said elevator-related rescue calls occur throughout the year, with incidents caused by factors including summer heat, winter power outages and water entering buildings.
Fire crews use specialised rescue tools to release trapped passengers while protecting their safety. The force also conducts year-round awareness campaigns at government and private institutions, schools and universities, urging citizens and residents to follow safety instructions and avoid substandard or poorly installed electrical wiring, which can cause fires.
