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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on Monday followed up on a tactical exercise carried out by the Civil Defense Department in cooperation with other security bodies in the Ghamadan area.

Arriving at the field, the King was received by the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the directors of the General Intelligence, Public Security, Gendarmerie and Civil Defense departments.

The Supreme Commander, in the presence of Their Highnesses Prince Faisal Bin Al Hussein and Prince Hashim Bin Al Hussein, was briefed by the drill's commader on the progress of the exercise and its various stages.

His Majesty watched the activities of the exercise, which simulated tackling forest fires, collapsed buildings and fires of chemicals that set off explosions in multiple locations, resulting in many injuries.

Ambulance, rescue and fire crews, a hazardous materials response team and an international search and rescue team, in cooperation with air force aircraft joined in firefighting, evacuation and air medical ambulance operations.

It also involved the use of an Mi-26 heavy-lift transport helicopter capable of carrying a 15,000- liter water tank and is equipped with 60 beds for medical evacuation purposes. The aircraft was introduced into service recently under royal directives.

Participants displayed high professionalism and skills in handling accidents and coordinating with the various units and their ability to deal with various conditions.

His Majesty expressed his satisfaction with the distinguished level the civil defense personnel have reached in terms of preparedness, qualification and field performances.

Addressing the participants towards the end of the drill, he said: "You have raised our heads all high. I and all the institutions of the state sincerely thank you."

The Supreme Commander ordered that two naval boats be provided for ambulance operations to complement the land, sea and air services of the civil defense apparatus.

The exercise was to determine the readiness of specialized civil defence teams, and raise the level of coordination and effective participation among all the concerned national services that deal with disasters and major accidents.

The drill was attended by the Lower House Speaker, the King's advisor for tribal affairs, the interior minister, the Royal Hashemite Court Secretary General, the Amman Mayor and other civil and military officials.

Civil Defence Department Director General, Maj. Gen. Mustafa Bazaiyea, said in an interview that 63 special operations machinery, out of the department's over 2,000, took part in the drill. All of these, he said, were supplied upon the Supreme Commander's directives and as part of his efforts to introduce all that is modern and advanced into the civil defence service.