AEDs for Swimming Pools and Beaches in the UAE and GCC

Dubai: what the public pool guideline requires

Dubai Municipality's Public Swimming Pools Safety Guidelines (DM-HSD-GU81-PSPS2, version 3.0, issued 30 April 2024) apply to owners, operators and contractors of public pools in Dubai. The scope covers communal pools, pools in residential buildings, water parks, hotel, camping, club and school pools, and any other pool open to the public in an establishment.

Section 4-5 states that resuscitation equipment using ordinary air and an AED are required, and that the equipment is to be used only by competent people. Section 4-14 repeats the AED in the first-aid equipment list for a designated first-aid station near the pool, alongside items such as a stretcher, a spinal board and a fully stocked first-aid box.

The same guideline requires lifeguards with a valid pool lifeguard certificate accredited by EIAC who are trained in basic life support, first aid and AED use through an approved curriculum or training centre. It also requires an emergency preparedness and response plan, emergency drills at least twice a year and inspection of emergency equipment at least annually. Read the complete document for lifeguard numbers, rescue equipment and reporting duties.

Source: Dubai Municipality: Public Swimming Pools Safety Guidelines, version 3.0 (PDF); Dubai Municipality: Private Swimming Pools Safety Guidelines (PDF)

Abu Dhabi: hotel pools, beaches and licensed pools

DCT Abu Dhabi Circular 5/2025, dated 25 April 2025 and addressed to hotel general managers, covers lifeguard health and safety at pools and beaches. Item 4 asks hotels to ensure the availability and functionality of rescue tubes, first-aid kits and defibrillators. It also requires lifeguards certified under the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council pool lifeguard scheme and regular training on emergency scenarios.

The separate Abu Dhabi municipal guide to the executive regulations for public swimming pools (Decision No. 3 of 2018) sets licensing conditions such as certified rescue swimmers, rescuer numbers by pool area and rescue equipment. That guide does not name AEDs, so an Abu Dhabi pool outside the hotel circular should confirm its AED expectations with its licensing authority and its own risk assessment rather than assume either answer.

Source: DCT Abu Dhabi: Circular 5/2025, lifeguard health and safety requirements at pools and beaches (PDF); Abu Dhabi Municipality: public swimming pool regulations guide (PDF)

Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the other emirates

We did not find a published pool or beach rule that names AEDs for Qatar, Oman or the northern emirates when this guide was written. That is not evidence that no requirement exists: licensing conditions, civil defence inspections, hotel classification rules and operator contracts can all add equipment duties. Ask the licensing authority, or your consultant, for the current written requirement and keep it on file.

In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Red Sea Authority issued requirements for beach operators in the Red Sea zone on 31 December 2025. A Clyde & Co summary reports that they require qualified lifeguards during operating hours, first-aid points, an approved list of safety and rescue equipment and a written beach safety plan. The summary does not mention defibrillators, so a Red Sea beach operator should confirm whether an AED belongs on its approved equipment list.

Wherever the site is, drowning prevention comes first. The World Health Organization lists barriers that control access to water, supervision and safe rescue skills among its core prevention measures. An AED supports an emergency response; it does not replace supervision, fencing or trained lifeguards.

Source: Clyde & Co: Saudi Red Sea Authority requirements for beach operators; World Health Organization: drowning fact sheet

Poolside AED readiness checklist

Use this worksheet with your safety officer and lifeguard supervisor before the season opens, and again after any change to opening hours, pool zones or staffing. It is an original planning aid, not an authority-issued form.

What to ask a supplier for a pool or beach AED

Ask for the manufacturer's operating and storage temperature ranges and water and dust protection rating for the exact model quoted, not only a brochure claim that it is suitable for outdoor use. Hot pool decks and beaches can exceed what a device or its pads are designed to tolerate, so the cabinet and its location matter as much as the device.

Ask how many sets of pads and spare batteries are included, whether child pads or a child mode are available for family pools, and who handles replacement after use. If your guideline requires annual inspection of emergency equipment, ask the supplier to put the inspection and its record in the written service scope. Use the linked quotation and maintenance guides to compare offers.