ABU DHABI // Osama Ahmed was so moved by the deaths of schoolchildren trapped in sweltering school buses after being forgotten, that he invented a device he hopes will prevent such tragedies from happening again.
The 45-year-old Syrian is a communications engineer with Abu Dhabi Police. His job is to come up with ideas that will reduce accidental vehicle deaths.
To that end, he and his colleagues created Safe Bus, a device that helps those trapped in buses to call for assistance.
“I am specialised in security systems, and my job is to keep up to date with all the accidents related to security,” said Mr Ahmed, who has lived in the UAE for 19 years and worked for the police for 15.
“Based on that, we try to develop solutions for these incidents, and of course the solution has to be technical.”
The device, called the School Bus Safety System (Safe Bus), is a comprehensive system that ensures that anyone locked inside a bus can get help quickly when the bus driver has left.
“After the bus is locked and closed, the system will remain active for eight hours,” said Mr Ahmed.
The alarm is set when the bus doors lock, and it can be activated by pressing a panic button or by built-in sensors.
When the alarm is triggered, information on the vehicle’s location and the activation time is sent to the police.
The authorities are studying the device before deciding when to install it in school buses across the UAE.
Besides Safe Bus, Mr Ahmed has also designed an award-winning child protection seat.
Although Article No 26 of the Federal Traffic Law prohibits children under 10 years of age from riding in the front seat of vehicles, and requires babies to be strapped into infant car seats, the rules are not strictly enforced. Many people claim to be ignorant about that, but a breach of the law carries a Dh400 fine and four demerit points.
In 2013, Mr Ahmed’s child protection seat won IdeasAmerica’s security idea of the year award (gold) and IdeasUK’s security and safety award (gold) in helping parents to avoid forgetting their children in hot cars.
“Once the alarm is on, the car windows open automatically, allowing ventilation into the car,” Mr Ahmed said, adding that kept children from being suffocated.
Safe Bus is available from Abu Dhabi Police, who are in the process of making it available to the public through their coordination with strategic partners.
“Implementation of the projects and seeing success resulting from them is an indescribable feeling,” Mr Ahmed said.
He said saving lives and property was of primary importance to him.
In 2009 he invented a fire safety device that he named “Safe 999”. It is now used across Abu Dhabi.
The device is connected to building fire alarms and sends wireless signals between the site of the fire and Abu Dhabi Police operations’ rooms.
The process takes less than two seconds to enable a rapid response and rescue time.
“Thanks to the Abu Dhabi Government, as we are supported 100 per cent by them, the citizens’ safety comes first,” he said.
ealdhaheri@thenational.ae
