[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="CDD officers believe support to guests of God a duty" ids="66821,66819,66820,66818"] MAKKAH — Officers of the Civil Defense Department play a significant role in protecting the safety and security of the millions of pilgrims who come to perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and pray at the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah during the holy month of Ramadan. The CDD officers work round the clock to fight fire and carry out rescue operations at times of accidents while fasting. They also extend hands of assistance to sick and elderly pilgrims and provide valuable guidance to stranded pilgrims to reach their destinations. CDD officers said they considered extending all-out support and assistance to the guests of God as their duty. "We feel proud of helping the pilgrims," one officer said, adding that CDD officers' services to pilgrims would enhance the Kingdom's global reputation. Press photographers have taken pictures of CDD officers carrying sick and elderly pilgrims as well as stranded children looking for their parents. Some of them provide first-aid services to sick and injured pilgrims and guide them to reach their hotels and other destinations. "We feel extreme happiness while serving the guests of Allah, especially those who need special assistance like the elderly and handicapped," said another officer. "Our difficulties evaporate when we hear prayers of pilgrims for us and for the Kingdom and its rulers," he added. Pilgrims express their happiness and gratitude when they receive special assistance from CDD officers and other security men. They thank the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for training its security officers to provide maximum care to the guests of Allah. "The humanitarian stances of security officers in general and CDD officers in particular have impressed not only pilgrims of different countries but also their leaders and relatives," said a Saudi media person who requested anonymity.
