A recent trip to our local park on The Pearl-Qatar led me to drive home past a very old, bright red fire-truck parked outside the island’s Civil Defence outpost. Naturally my two-year-old son made siren sounds and, of course, wanted to take a look, so we hopped out to investigate. It wasn’t long before a fireman approached and asked if we wanted to take a look inside at the real (and thankfully modernized) trucks. So we did.

I was in awe of how impressive the set-up was at the Civil Defence Centre, but mostly, how friendly these guys were. They genuinely didn’t mind us nosey-ing around their workplace. This led to a light-bulb moment…why not organize a mini-tour for some of the families with little ones on The Pearl? The crew were happy to do so, and a few days later, they were out in full force to show ten little two-year-old boys all that it takes to be a real life hero – and you can guess what the verdict from the toddlers was…they loved it!

The Pearl’s Civil Defence Centre is located beside Qatar Cool and is home to four large, shiny fire-trucks, along with some additional support vehicles. Donning his full fireman uniform, Younes was our go-to guy to ask all things fire and emergency-related, and he also worked the hose pretty well to show off to the little kids. As water cannons gushed up to the sky, squeals of excitement rang in the air. The kids couldn’t get enough as they spent a good 30 minutes just inside the fire-truck, in awe of all the masks and rescue gear.

They saw suits and boots, hoses and masks, not to mention some drills and other power-tools all used in the event of an emergency. The firemen were good enough to let the sirens blare for just a few seconds, lights flashing, and even a little play on the radio was deemed absolute fine. We were astonished at how welcoming they were to show off what they do, and it was refreshing to see this level of openness and accessibility among Qatar’s Civil Defence services.

We took a tour around the firehouse and saw where all the equipment is kept, where practice drills are worked on, and where the firemen relax between duty calls. Perhaps the best part of all was the fireman’s pole! Toddlers were told to stand back as a swift trip down the pole was demonstrated, again to much amusement!

The men at Civil Defence were welcoming, they made us laugh, they taught our children with such patience, but most of all they keep us all safe in case of an emergency – and for all of that we are thankful.

If you want to take your child for a tour around The Pearl-Qatar’s Civil Defence outpost, pop along or call to arrange a visit.

Phone: (+974) 2235-5555
Email: [email protected]

Check out the photo gallery below!

Have you visited The Pearl-Qatar’s Civil Defence Centre? If so, we want to hear about your experience, so drop us a line in the comments below and don’t forget to like and share this article!

(Words and images by Lynsey Riach)

(Cover image courtesy of Qatar Ministry of Interior)

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