The Civil Defense Department in Madinah has announced its readiness to launch its plan to cope with emergencies during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The Department’s plan includes allocating manpower and equipment, as well as increasing coordination with concerned authorities, to implement civil defense measures and activities and ensure the highest level of safety and preparedness during this month.

The Director of the Civil Defense in Madinah, Maj. Gen. Zuhair Bin Ahmed Hashim Seeba, confirmed that the outreach and awareness measures are one of the most prominent and central features of the plan.

“The Civil Defense in Madinah will launch a specialized campaign to raise awareness about health and safety measures,” he said.

The campaigns will target visitors to Madinah through a number of activities and events at different commercial centers and markets in the city. The campaigns also include the distribution of pamphlets and fliers, painting exhibits inside the open spaces in the Haram, and television commercials in hotels playing in more than one language.

This year, the Civil Defense has also set up centers at both indoor and outdoor locations with a large number of people to address any emergency situations.

The director said three more indoor centers had been set up in Madinah, bringing the total of such centers to 28, in addition to 7 mobile units that will operate in various locations at peak times. A number of other centers have also been set up on the roads to and from Madinah for the first time this year.

Major General Seeba said the management plan involves ensuring the intensification of the work of safety patrols in the area, particularly in locations with a large number of people, such as market places and shopping malls.

“Fifteen emergency units have been prepared for rapid intervention should incidents occur at such locations,” he said.

The implementation of the emergency plan in Madinah will take place in four stages.
The first stage was carried out during the months of May and June, and involved conducting a comprehensive survey of markets and commercial centers, hotels, and public venues by safety patrols to identify any irregularities and ensure the effectiveness of safety systems in those locations.

The second phase will take place from 1-19 Ramadan (July) while the third phase will take place from 20-30 Ramadan (July), and will include the provision of support during the night of completion of the Qur’an and the first night of Eid. The fourth stage will take place from Aug. 1-6, 2014.

He said the numbers and locations of patrols at each site and during each stage will be determined by the situation on the ground, pointing out that the approval was issued by the Director General of Civil Defense to launch the support plan to deal with emergency situations and maintain safety in the region.
Five officers, 50 safety inspectors, and 139 officers have been deployed to cope with emergency situations and maintain coordination with local authorities at all times.

Maj. Gen. Seeba concluded his statement by wishing all Muslims a blessed Ramadan full of positivity, safety, and good health.

[wpResize]