JEDDAH: Last month’s Jeddah floods in which over 120 people died and 38 are still missing raised the question of volunteers joining the Civil Defense to help in search and rescue operations.

Over 500 people came forward in the spur of the moment to save people and property in the floods.

“Humanitarian work and saving lives is something that Saudi citizens are very happy to undertake,” said Saeed Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi citizen, recalling a previous incident in which ordinary members of the public saved a family from drowning in Hail last year.

“I am confident that if the door is made open to people to volunteer their services, then we would see a large number of Saudi youths coming forward,” he added.

Saudi people by nature, said Al-Ghamdi, are fond of humanitarian work and love to help people in times of need.

Abdullah Al-Mitairi said he is ready to participate in any type of volunteer work for the king and country. “We only lack experience in first aid. We need to be trained on how to deal with people who may have fractured bones and spine injuries. People who carry out such work also need to be officially recognized,” he said.

Khaled Al-Harbi, Muhammad Al-Ghamdi and Salim Al-Johani, all young Saudi men, said that the series of natural catastrophes that the Kingdom witnessed last year — including tremors near Madinah, earthquakes in Yanbu, floods in Jeddah and infiltration of Yemeni rebels in the south — show that there is a need for members of the public to come forward and volunteer themselves. All three called for the establishment of an official body of volunteers to spread awareness about such work and help reduce the burden on the Civil Defense.

Brig. Zuhair ibn Ahmad Hashim Sabiyah, director of the Civil Defense in Yanbu, underscored the importance of voluntary work, adding people are able to do volunteer work during Haj.

“The establishment of a special organization for volunteers is a good idea if it works. There are Civil Defense centers in America and Europe, which are manned by volunteers. If we could apply the same idea here, then we would attract a large number of people who would be of great service to the Kingdom,” he said.

Spokesman for the Civil Defense in Jeddah Brig. Muhamamd Abdullah Al-Qarni said there is a special department for Saudi and expatriate volunteers within the Civil Defense.

He recalled that Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif had issued regulations for people to take part in volunteer work about nine years ago and that they are officially recognized. “There are certain conditions any volunteer, whether Saudi or foreign, should meet including being physically fit and having a clean criminal record, as volunteers would be entering homes,” he said. Al-Qarni said the volunteers would be trained for two weeks on the work that the Civil Defense does before they are officially accepted.

“People should not be volunteering just at times of calamity. There should be awareness about such work in schools and hospitals. People who work for welfare organizations are also volunteers,” he added.

Al-Qarni also revealed that the Technical Training Center in Makkah has sent 300 volunteers to Jeddah to repair damaged houses. He also praised the idea of organizing volunteers, a concept that would benefit the wider public.

Spokesman for the Civil Defense in Madinah Col. Mansour Al-Johani praised the idea of organizing volunteers. “Volunteer work is a unique and humanitarian type of work. There should be opportunities for volunteer work all over the Kingdom,” he added.

Meanwhile, an official source at the Civil Defense said 20 days before the floods Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs Prince Muhammad bin Naif issued orders opening the door for people to carry out volunteer work with the Civil Defense all year round.