Civil Defence plans emergency system for disabled people

The Civil Defence Organisation has begun work on a system to help emergency teams reach and safely evacuate disabled people and others with specific support needs.

The proposed portal would record individual needs in advance, allowing responders to plan how best to assist people with limited mobility, visual or hearing impairments, and others who may require support. The organisation said the aim was to reach the right person at the right time with the appropriate assistance.

Representatives of eight charities and associations met Civil Defence officials to discuss the proposal. The meeting covered evacuation risks, individual requirements, rescue priorities and coordination between organisations.

Günay Kıbrit, president of the Cyprus Turkish Association of People with Orthopaedic Disabilities, welcomed the initiative and said the association was ready to work with Civil Defence on a safer, more inclusive system.

Civil Defence chief Hakan Balaban thanked the organisations for their input and said work on the system would continue. He said the goal was an emergency response that took account of everyone’s needs and left no one behind.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Cyprus Autism Association, the Thalassaemia Association, the Cyprus Turkish Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the Cyprus Turkish MS Association, the Kemal Saraçoğlu Foundation for Children with Leukaemia and the Fight Against Cancer, the TRNC Disabled Sports Federation and Cheshire Home Rehabilitation Centre.

The organisations agreed to continue working together to bring the system into use, with the shared goal of making emergency assistance safer and more accessible for everyone.