Ahmad Al-Hassani

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH – Some 4,900 Civil Defense personnel have been deployed to tackle any emergencies in Makkah and Madinah during the last 10 days of the holy month.



Director General of Civil Defense Lt. Gen. Saad Abdullah Al-Twaijri said that 3,900 personnel have been deployed in and around the Grand Mosque in Makkah and 1,000 have been stationed in the Prophet’s Mosque and areas around it.



He said the deployment will cover the new expansion areas in the Grand Mosque and all major roads in Makkah, as well as all vital installations and accommodations and facilities serving Umrah pilgrims.

 

A standby force will support the Civil Defense personnel to boost the capability of the field teams and units, Al-Twaijri said.



He said the Civil Defense sends SMS messages to Umrah pilgrims and also alerts them through screens put up in front of the Grand Mosque gates about crowding inside the mosque.



Buggies fitted with cameras have been pressed into service to transmit live pictures from the scenes of accidents to the Civil Defense operations room. The Civil Defense operations room follows the movement of Umrah pilgrims with the help of 4,000 CCTV cameras covering all the districts of Makkah around the clock.