JEDDAH – The General Directorate of Civil Defense has urged the Ministry of Education to open up new positions in the Kingdom's schools with the job title of safety officer. Every school is required to have a safety official, with a ratio of one on every 100 students. Responsibilities in this new job includes educating the students on safety precautions, spreading fire safety awareness, and ensuring that the school implements proper safety regulations and is equipped with proper functioning of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. The Civil Defense officially demanded the Ministry of Education to follow through with the schools and make sure that they are meeting the standard safety regulations, and one of the most prominent of such regulations is having a safety officer. They also advised the Ministry of Education to incorporate safety awareness in the curriculum of general education from a young age to create a safety conscious generation. “We have requested that each school should have a professional safety officer, one to every 100 students to protect our children and teach them how to correctly respond in case of emergencies. We are also very keen on offering courses and training for teachers in school safety,” said Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Qarni, spokesman for the Civil Defense. – SG
