Abdullah Al-Jamili

Al-Madinah



The other day I was traveling from Madinah to Al-Qassim by car when I saw on the other side of the road a Saudi Red Crescent ambulance driving at a high speed. It might have been on its way to rescue some injured people.



As I am used to traveling a lot by land, I asked myself how much time this ambulance will take to reach the accident scene. Will the car reach the accident scene in time? How much time will the rescuers need to transport the injured to the nearest hospital?



When paramedics arrive at the accident scene, the first thing they will do is check if there is a fire resulting from the accident or if some passengers are trapped.



In this case, the paramedics will have to seek the help of the Civil Defense.



If we reverse the picture, we may see the Civil Defense and the police dealing with the accident first. They may discover that the situation requires the intervention of the Red Crescent so they will call it and wait for it to come.



There is more than one government body working within its resources to protect the motorists in our vast country.



Among others, these bodies include the police, the Civil Defense and the Red Crescent.



Every one of these bodies have its own duties and human resources, vehicles and tools.



Despite the sincere efforts of each of these bodies, it seems that they are disrupted and their responses may not be as quick as possible. As a result, these official organizations may not be able to rescue the road victims on time.



Therefore, I suggest all these bodies be put under the umbrella of a single organization with the sole purpose of ensuring the safety of road users and to serve travelers in all possible ways. They should have a unified toll free telephone through which they can be reached.



The personnel of the unified body should be trained on rescue operations, dealing efficiently with emergency cases and responding quickly to any cry for help.



With a sufficient number of trained personnel, vehicles, equipment and a unified telephone number, we will ultimately have a Saudi 911 Rescue Team.



Anyone in need of help may dial this number free of charge and receive the appropriate assistance at any time.

Our children and old men and women in distress may use the number to ask for help and save their lives and properties.



Until this happens, the air ambulance service should never stop due to the vastness of our country.