JEDDAH – Two SR2 million worth tents the Directorate of Health Affairs in Jeddah has installed on the roof of its building lack the minimum standards of security and safety, according to an anonymous source in the Directorate. He told Makkah daily by telephone that the tents lack safety requirements that must be met including fire alarms, fire extinguishers or emergency exits. He noted that in case of a fire emergency, it would be a disaster since the tents are on the roof and have no access to fire exits. The official spokesman of the Directorate of Civil Defense in Makkah Col. Saeed Sarhan explained that the minimum requirements when installing tents within governmental facilities are to have safety and security measures. "When safety requirements are not met, Civil Defense will not provide permits and will report this as a violation," said Col. Sarhan. He pointed out that the role of Civil Defense is limited to alert tent owners who install them in their homes about the possible dangers and accidents that might occur. "Recorded incidents of tents are due to the use of heaters during cold weather that set certain types of fabrics on fire. Also, electrical wirings that pass without insulation or pipes to protect them from temperature and pressure might also lead to the start of fires," added Col. Sarhan. A source at the Civil Defense noted that violations are closely related to the type of activity and size of the building even if owners have a permit or if the building is government owned or rented. "Either way there are certain conditions to be approved by the Civil Defense and it is expected the health department of Jeddah didn't have a permit," he said.
