Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — There is a pressing need to include women in Civil Defense teams, said a security and safety specialist, who also advocated inclusion of safety training in Kingdom schools. Adnan Al-Hashimi, a security and safety expert and the president of Civil Defense Academy that trains women, said: “It would be better if a woman went to rescue females stuck at women-only dorms, sectors or wedding halls.” “That's why we have been calling for women's involvement in the Civil Defense for years,” said Al-Hashimi, a 30-year veteran in rescuing victims when he was with the Civil Defense. He currently heads the academy, which began training women in 2005. Till date it has trained over 3,000 women, who are working in different government and private sector establishments. Al-Hashimi renewed his call to induct women in this sector at the Dar Al-Hekma graduation ceremony for the 67 employees who received training in safety and security. He added that their presence in the service could be ‘critical.' “We are training women of different groups, and we even train children. In addition we have provided training for different bodies including Prince Naif College for Security Sciences and King Abdul Aziz University. Now we are imparting training to Dar Al-Hekma College students,” he said. The training, he said, ranges from one day to two weeks based on the needs of the establishment. “Sixty percent of the training that we offer is for free. We have qualified women engineers and specialists in safety and security who provide this training.,” he added. Al-Hashimi stressed that the mode of training varies, and it can be tailor-made to suit the institution's purposes. “The training can be for primary elements including first aid and can be expanded to include putting plans for evacuation and dealing with critical issues.” Etidal Al-Amoudi, an employee at Dar Al-Hekma, said she benefitted from the training. “We have learned key aspects of safety that could save lives, and have become more aware and careful with the wires and kitchen equipment,” she said. “On top of that we can deal with accidents quickly,” she added, saying, “I hope all women can be introduced to this experience for their own safety. It would be more useful to provide such training for students and teachers.” Suhair Al-Qurashi, dean of Dar Al-Hekma, said, “They (the college) do not focus only on education but also tend to expand the experience of their college with such field trainings in security and evacuation plans.” That's why the institution has signed an agreement with the Civil Defense Academy to provide training for college students and employees, she added.
