UAE Emergency Preparedness Guide: Business Continuity & Crisis Response 2025

Emergency preparedness is essential for protecting employees, minimizing business disruption, and meeting regulatory requirements. UAE workplaces face various potential emergencies including fire, medical emergencies, severe weather, security threats, and utility failures. This guide covers comprehensive emergency planning, response procedures, business continuity, and recovery processes.

Aspect	Details
Purpose	Prepare for and respond to emergencies
Types	Fire, medical, natural, security, business
Requirement	Emergency plans mandatory
Key Elements	Plans, teams, training, communication
Testing	Regular drills and reviews

Emergency Types

Understanding different emergency scenarios.

Emergency Categories

Fire: Building fire, electrical fire. Medical: Injury, illness, pandemic. Natural: Flood, sandstorm, earthquake. Security: Threat, violence, terrorism. Technical: Power failure, IT outage. Environmental: Chemical spill, gas leak.

UAE-Specific Considerations

Climate: Heat emergencies during summer, sandstorms. High-rise buildings: Evacuation challenges in tall buildings. Diverse workforce: Language and cultural factors in communication. Infrastructure: Modern emergency services available. Regulations: Civil Defense requirements must be met.

Emergency Contacts

Civil Defense/Fire: 997. Police: 999. Ambulance: 998. Building Security: Facility-specific number. Utility (DEWA/ADDC): As per provider.

Emergency Type	Examples
Fire	Building fire, electrical fire
Medical	Injury, illness, pandemic
Natural	Flood, sandstorm, earthquake
Security	Threat, violence, terrorism
Technical	Power failure, IT outage
Environmental	Chemical spill, gas leak

Emergency Planning

Developing comprehensive emergency plans.

Plan Purpose and Scope

Protect life and safety of all occupants. Minimize property damage. Ensure business continuity. Meet regulatory requirements. Cover all locations and all personnel including employees, contractors, and visitors.

Emergency Response Team

Emergency Director: Overall coordination and decision-making. Communications Lead: Internal and external messaging. Fire Wardens: Evacuation and head count. First Aiders: Medical response. Security Liaison: Coordinate with emergency services. Identify primary and backup for each role.

Emergency Supplies

First aid: Fully stocked kit, AED if applicable, emergency blankets. Communication: Battery-powered radio, extra batteries, contact list, megaphone. Lighting: Flashlights, extra batteries, glow sticks. Water and food: Bottled water, non-perishable snacks. Tools: Fire extinguishers, basic tools, duct tape, gloves. Documents: Emergency plan copy, floor plans, contacts.

Plan Maintenance

Review annually at minimum. Update after organizational changes. Revise after any emergency or drill lessons. Distribute to all relevant personnel. Train new employees on arrival.

Response Procedures

Procedures for different emergency types.

General Emergency Response

Detect: Identify the emergency. Alert: Notify appropriate people. Respond: Take immediate action. Evacuate: If necessary. Account: Conduct head count. Communicate: Update stakeholders. Recover: Return to normal operations. Review: Learn and improve.

Fire Emergency

On discovering fire: Raise alarm, call 997 if safe, fight small fires if trained, evacuate if fire spreads, close doors. On hearing alarm: Stop work, follow evacuation procedure, do not use elevators, proceed to assembly point. Management: Emergency Director takes control, ensure 997 called, account for personnel, liaise with emergency services.

Medical Emergency

Immediate response: Assess scene safety, call for first aider, call 998 if serious, do not move injured unless danger. First aid: Trained responder provides care, stay with casualty, reassure the person. Information for ambulance: Building address, nature of emergency, number of casualties, condition, actions taken.

Security Threat

Suspicious activity: Do not confront, observe and remember details, move away safely, alert security/management, call police if immediate threat. Active threat: RUN if safe route available, HIDE if cannot escape, FIGHT only as last resort, call 999 when safe. Lockdown: Move away from windows/doors, lock/barricade doors, turn off lights, silence phones, stay quiet, wait for all clear.

Severe Weather

Sandstorm: Stay indoors, close windows and doors, turn off outdoor AC, avoid driving, monitor updates. Flooding: Move to higher ground, avoid basement areas, do not drive through water, turn off electricity if water rising. Extreme heat: Stay in air-conditioned spaces, drink water, recognize heat illness signs, limit outdoor exposure.

Utility Failure

Power outage: Emergency lighting activates, safely shut down equipment, check backup systems, account for anyone in elevators, evacuate if extended. Gas leak: Do not use switches or flames, open windows if safe, evacuate the area, call emergency services, do not re-enter.

Emergency Communication

Communication protocols during emergencies.

Communication Plan

On-site employees: Alarm, PA system, verbal notification immediately. Off-site/remote workers: Phone, email, SMS as soon as possible. Management: Phone tree, WhatsApp immediately. Families: After employee confirmed safe. Media: Designated spokesperson only if necessary. Authorities: Emergency Controller as required.

Communication Tree

Level 1: Emergency Director initiates. Level 2: Department Heads notified. Level 3: Team Leaders informed. Level 4: All employees reached. Each level confirms receipt and cascades down.

Communication Scripts

Activation message: This is [Name]. We have an emergency at [location]. The situation is [description]. Please [action required]. I will update you in [timeframe]. Please confirm receipt. All clear message: This is [Name]. The emergency at [location] has ended. It is safe to [return/resume work]. Thank you for your cooperation.

Notification Methods

PA system for building-wide alerts. Fire alarm for evacuation. SMS blast for rapid reach. WhatsApp groups for teams. Email for detailed updates. Phone tree for management. Intranet alert for connected staff.

Business Continuity

Maintaining operations during and after emergencies.

Business Impact Analysis

Identify critical functions and impact if unavailable. Determine priority: Critical, High, Medium, Low. Assess recovery requirements: RTO (Recovery Time Objective - how fast to restore) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective - acceptable data loss).

Alternate Work Arrangements

Work from home capability enabled. Alternate office location identified. Co-working space arrangements. Partner company agreements. Requirements: Laptops/devices, VPN access, cloud systems, communication tools.

Data Backup and Recovery

Backup frequency defined. Backup location secured (offsite or cloud). Recovery testing conducted regularly. IT contact designated for restoration. Documentation of recovery procedures.

Vendor Contingency

Identify critical vendors and services. Establish backup suppliers. Document contact information. Include in continuity planning. Test alternate arrangements periodically.

Insurance Coverage

Business interruption insurance. Property insurance. Liability coverage. Know contact information. Understand claim procedures.

Training & Drills

Training requirements and drill schedules.

Training Requirements

Emergency awareness for all employees on joining and annually. Fire warden training annually for designated personnel. First aid certification every 2-3 years for designated staff. Emergency Response Team training quarterly. Evacuation drills twice yearly for all occupants.

Drill Schedule

Q1: Fire evacuation drill. Q2: Medical emergency scenario. Q3: Fire evacuation drill. Q4: Other scenario (security, weather). Vary times and days. Include all shifts.

Drill Evaluation Criteria

Evacuation time against target. Everyone accounted for (100% goal). Fire wardens effective. Communication clear. Special needs persons assisted. Equipment functioning.

Post-Drill Review

Conduct debrief meeting. Identify what went well. Document areas for improvement. Assign actions with owners and deadlines. Update procedures as needed. Communicate learnings to all staff.

Training	Who	Frequency
Emergency awareness	All employees	On joining + annual
Fire warden	Designated staff	Annual
First aid	Designated staff	Every 2-3 years
Emergency Response Team	ERT members	Quarterly
Evacuation drill	All	Twice yearly