MANAMA: A major initiative to enhance cooperation between fire-fighting organizations in Gulf states was on Wednesday announced by the Saudi Civil Defense chief. Speaking at a high-profile conference in the Bahraini capital Manama, Lt. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Amro, director-general of the Kingdom’s Civil Defense, revealed plans to set up a regional fire-fighting council to cover Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.   Al-Amro told delegates at the International Fire Operations Conference that the newly established council will aim to strengthen communications on fire-related matters between civil defense directorates in GCC countries and Saudi Aramco.  “There is a joint plan to enable civil defense units from various GCC countries to move across borders to assist one another in fire-fighting operations and in securing petroleum, industrial, and other plants,” Al-Amro said. Addressing the third day of the gathering in Bahrain, he stressed the need for continuous training, skills enhancement, and technological upgrading of tools and materials in order for GCC civil defense directorates to boost their performance.  Maj. Gen. Jassem Mohammed Al-Marzouqi, general commander of Civil Defense at the UAE’s Ministry of Interior, highlighted his country’s efforts to develop its scientific and technical capabilities in order to improve fire skills and risk control.  He said the fire operations conference was “an opportunity to emphasize the importance of unifying efforts to develop joint plans of cooperation in fire operations, rescue and evacuation.”  Al-Marzouqi pointed out the need to build capabilities based on artificial intelligence, modern technologies, and enhancement of preventative measures. Saudi Aramco program manager, Ghassan Abu Al-Faraj, said advanced nanotechnology will be used to enhance safety measures, and stressed the importance of cooperation and exchange of expertise between fire-fighting departments in GCC countries.  The second International Fire Operations Conference was organized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) under the auspices of Bahraini Minister of Interior Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa and the participation of GCC countries, the US, and Saudi Aramco.