Jeddah-Chairman of Hajj Supreme Committee Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Saudi deputy premier and minister of interior has approved the general plan for the implementation of the works of Civil Defense in emergency situations during Hajj season this year 1437 AH.
This was announced by Director General of Civil Defense Lieutenant General Suleiman bin Abdullah al-Amr, who said that over 17,000 officers and members are participating in carrying out the general plan for emergencies in Hajj with the help of 3,000 machines and equipment.
There is a plan for supporting the Civil Defense forces with personnel from the regions in case they are needed.
With the approval of this plan, the Civil Defense has reached the highest level of preparedness to counter 13 probable hazards through a number of Civil Defense centers and units in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites, Lt. Gen. al-Amr added.
He said the plan was based on studying and drawing lessons from the positive and negative aspects experienced during the past years.
Moreover, there are also plans concerning evacuation that will be implemented in coordination with other government agencies in case of any emergency during Haj, he said.
He said the emergency plan entails all appropriate measures for the protection of pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites against accidents and disasters. It also aims at protecting private and public properties by following the best possible way in coordination with other government agencies.
The plan includes launching of awareness campaigns about the safety of pilgrims in housing facilities in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites in coordination with Hajj and Tawafa establishments, he said.
Other awareness campaigns will be run through media, banners and booklets which will be distributed in large numbers among the pilgrims.
Social media and smartphones will also be used to create awareness, he stated.
He added that the Directorate of Civil Defense has joined the Unified Security Operations Center (911) to exchange reports and carry out joint security operations in collaboration with the security sectors of the Ministry of Interior to deal with crises and emergencies.