He said the volunteers have reached all affected areas in the city and are delivering relief supplies to needy people.

Al-Ghamdi said, under the directives of its chairman Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, the SRC was currently implementing changes to be able to keep pace with the increasing needs of affected people.

“The changes are not only in the development of human cadres but also equipment to be able to meet the needs of the growing population, especially during the seasons of Haj and Umrah,” he said.

Al-Ghamdi said the SRC has equipped itself with small cars for rapid deployment.

“We now have six teams using small cars deployed in various parts of Jeddah, including the districts of Al-Samir, Al-Khalediyah, Balad, Kilo 7, Obhur and others,” he said.

Al-Ghamdi said Jeddah was divided into areas and covered by an ambulance service any time of the day and night.

“The ambulance team consists of a doctor and a paramedic in well-equipped small cars who deal with emergency cases and send the most critical to hospitals,” he said.

He referred to reports from the Directorate General of Traffic that revealed there were 4.3 million car accidents in Jeddah in the past 19 years, killing more than 86,000 people and injuring 611,000 others. Seven percent of survivors were crippled, Al-Ghamdi said, adding such accidents represented a further burden on the SRC.

He said in its second phase of development, the SRC acquired medium-size helicopters that can transport up to two people in addition to an emergency team.

“These helicopters will cover Makkah, the Eastern Province, Riyadh-Dammam Expressway and Riyadh-Taif Highway,” he said.

Al-Ghamdi said the SRC has extended its operation beyond rescue services.

The SRC’s medical evacuation aircraft recently airlifted the organs of a dead Filipino Muslim fisherman from Rabigh to King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah in half an hour to save the lives of nine patients who were waiting for transplants, he said.