Saudi Gazette The Directorate General of Civil Defense has completed all preparations for carrying out its general plan for emergencies in Makkah and Madinah throughout the holy month of Ramadan. In a press conference held on Wednesday at Grand Coral Hotel in Makkah and attended by Director General of Civil Defense in Makkah Province Maj. Gen. Salim Bin Marzouq Al-Matrafi, Director of Civil Defense in Makkah Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Delaiwi and Col. Khaled Bin Mubarak Al-Jihani, spokesman of the Civil Defense in Madinah, the Civil Defense expressed its readiness to deal with all kinds of possible hazards during Ramadan. The Civil Defense is set to carry out detailed plans for protecting Umrah performers and visitors by ensuring the mobilization of its personnel who will utilize the latest technology during the holy month. The Civil Defense will also take preventive measures to limit the number of accidents in facilities for accommodating Umrah performers and visitors as well as other facilities they frequent. Field units and teams will be deployed in considerable numbers to deal with any contingencies in the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque throughout the holy month. Maj. Gen. Al-Matrafi said the general plan for Civil Defense work in Makkah and Madinah during Ramadan has been approved by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior. It is being followed up by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah province and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Prince Faisal Bin Salman, emir of Madinah province. Al-Matrafi said the general plan is three-pronged. The first aspect focuses on prevention by monitoring and analyzing potential dangers and intensifying preventive inspection campaigns of facilities frequented by Umrah performers and visitors. The second aspect focuses on operations by raising the level of readiness for dealing with all probable risks. The third aspect is to raise the level of awareness among Umrah performers and visitors. The plan has been prepared with the aim of providing the highest level of safety for the guests of Allah during Ramadan. Al-Matrafi said the plan provides the highest level of readiness for dealing with several hazards including rain, floods, storms, building collapses, rockslides, hazardous materials, pollution, crowding and stampedes. There will be speedy intervention to carry out rescue work, extinguish fires and rush accident victims to hospitals via ambulances. The rescue operations will be carried out in cooperation with all government authorities. These authorities are considered to be basic partners in carrying out the Civil Defense general plan for emergencies. A coordination mechanism with all government authorities has been approved so as to take decisions fast and take advantage of the expertise of every authority in case of an emergency. Al-Matrafi said the Civil Defense, as part of the security apparatus in the Kingdom, absorbs all changes and developments in its operation plans for the Haj and Umrah seasons. These include the expected and targeted number of pilgrims in Saudi Vision 2030. This is achieved through the setting up of new Civil Defense stations to meet the needs. Al-Matrafi lauded the unified security operations center supervised by the Ministry of Interior and the big boost it will give to the efforts of the security authorities in the field of control and effective coordination. Answering a question on fire hazards in hotels and other residential facilities accommodating Umrah performers, Al-Matrafi said all residences for Umrah performers are subject to safety conditions during construction and operation in coordination with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH). He said statistics show that fire accidents are rare. "Since the beginning of this year, the number of injuries due to fire accidents has not exceeded five. This low rate of casualties is due to the stringent safety arrangements and follow up by the Civil Defense," he said. Al-Matrafi said this year the Civil Defense has used modern technology and social media in boosting awareness. Two new support centers have been established and there is full readiness to prevent crowding while dealing with reports in the central area of the city through 279 motorbike units and other teams distributed as pickets in various places so as to respond quickly to reports. The time specified internationally for responding to accident reports is estimated at five minutes. The Civil Defense in the Kingdom is striving to achieve a quicker response readiness. Al-Matrafi said the Civil Defense is keen to benefit from the services of volunteers and support the efforts of the Civil Defense men. He said the contribution of the youth was effective during rain and floods that some regions witnessed in the past. He called on the youth to volunteer during the holy month. He said the Civil Defense plan during Ramadan in Makkah is characterized by flexibility in dealing with any changes. He said 13 seasonal centers have been set up to cover all the districts of Makkah. Several support teams have also been set up. This year all the reports will be received through the unified security operations center. Apart from this, the number of support centers has been increased to four. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Al-Delaiwi, director of the Civil Defense in the city of Makkah, said his administration's plan in preparing for Ramadan relied on deriving lessons from the Umrah seasons of previous years. He said the observations are dealt with in five aspects – planning, organization, prevention, operation and the Civil Defense force inside the Haram complex.
