Brig. Gen. Jameel Arbaeen, director of Civil Defense in the holy city, said the new system would help his department discharge its duties and responsibilities more effectively, because each mailbox is allocated a unique number.
He added that if an emergency room is given this number, Civil Defense officers can quickly dispatch to any given location without having to rely on the caller’s description.
Arbaeen also said his department is taking advantage of automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology. “Civil Defense units can now reach an emergency scene quicker based on information from the control room,” he said.
Emergency service teams have been supplied with AVL vehicle tracking systems, which help the control room guide them more easily.
Makkah’s Civil Defense worked with Saudi Post to improve its emergency response times, taking advantage of its extensive address database and Wasel. The new postal system uses satellite technology to create a postal code for each individual building, all collated into a national database. Each postbox is equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) readers to help Saudi Post deliver mail more efficiently.
Arbaeen noted that under the new system, Civil Defense units can easily attend an emergency scene even if the caller does not know Arabic or is unaware of his locality.
“Suppose if a fire breaks out at a person’s home while he was away, he can inform the Civil Defense and then firefighters will reach the area quickly,” he said, adding that units only need to know the Wasel number of his house.
Arbaeen said up to 500 members of the Civil Defense forces have been deployed at the Grand Mosque to maximize support for worshippers during Ramadan and the upcoming Haj season.
“Equipped with emergency kits and wheelchairs, they will be able to provide service to pilgrims, especially the sick, elderly and the disabled. There are six doctors as well as paramedical staff offering emergency medical services,” he said.
He said all the arrangements are in place to ensure safety at the Grand Mosque.
“In line with the directive of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, a new mechanism has been introduced to ensure the safety of massive development projects under various phases of implementation in the Haram central area including King Abdul Aziz Endowment Project, Jabal Omar, and Jabal Kaaba projects,” he added.
He said a hotline has been established between these projects and the Civil Defense control room.
Designated firefighting and rescue teams have also been made available for these projects, he said.
According to Arbaeen, over 4,200 members of Civil Defense forces have been deployed to implement his department’s Ramadan plan this year.
“These forces have been provided with all necessary equipment, including 400 motorcycles,” he said, adding that four helicopters have also been embarking on surveillance missions.
