[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Improving emergency response" ids="143007,143008,143009,143010"]
By Badea Abu Al-Naja
Saudi Gazette
THE Unified Security Operations Center 911 was launched in 2015 by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior.
According to Col. Ali Al-Ghamdi, director of the center in Makkah province, said the center provides comprehensive security services through the national emergency phone number 911. All calls to various emergency services, including the Highway Patrol, Police, Civil Defense, Traffic Department, Saudi Red Crescent, Ministry of Health, the municipalities, Saudi Electricity Company, National Water Company and Haj Security Forces, are channeled through the center.
In the absence of a universal emergency phone number, people had to remember the phone number for each department in the area in case they needed help from the police or the fire department.
Telephone operators would usually be left to direct emergency calls if the caller was not sure which department or phone number they needed. Oftentimes there would be further delays upon getting the police or fire department on the line if the officers who answered the phone were busy with another caller
“Unifying all emergency services under one number helped the center coordinate with the pertinent government agency and respond to the emergency cases on the spot and even determine and analyze the type of risk,” Al-Ghamdi explained.
The Interior Ministry set up the center to enhance national security and stability and provide full services to all segments of society, including expatriate workers, visitors and pilgrims.
“The center currently provides services in Arabic and English but soon will offer the same services in French, German, Urdu, Indonesian and Persian,” he noted.
The center takes less than three seconds to respond to a call and less than 45 seconds to transfer it to the pertinent government agency and identify the location of the caller. The Makkah center receives 30,000-35,000 calls a day, of which 10 percent are security-related.
The average number of calls rises to 38,000 a day during school holidays and 60,000 during the Haj season. Most of these calls are made by visitors to ask about the location of hotels, in addition to other humanitarian services.
“The center operates 4,000 surveillance cameras covering the Grand Mosque, the Ritual Sites and the Makkah tunnels. The system is equipped to run up 15,000 cameras,” said Al-Ghamdi, adding that the Saudi government works non-stop to maximize security measures and ensure safety of all residents, visitors and guests.
The operators of the surveillance cameras are highly trained and they coordinate professionally with all government agencies to manage crowds of visitors who enter and leave the Grand Mosque as well as to guide people who lose their way. The operators keep a close eye on all surveillance cameras to ensure safety and security of the public.
The center provides humanitarian services to the disabled and top urgent services to ambulances and paramedics as the center has operators who represent the Ministry of Health and who are aware of the first aid requirements and can help paramedics manage a patient until the Red Crescent team arrives at the scene. They can also help determine the location and name of the hospital that should receive the patient.
The center facilitates the work of checkpoints and report breakdown of buses of the roads to the traffic officers and highway patrol to take action and ensure the smooth flow of traffic for all visitors and pilgrims who come to Makkah.
To increase awareness among Umrah performers and pilgrims about 911 services, the center sends SMS messages and coordinate with the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques’ Affairs.
Al-Ghamdi called upon citizens and expatriate workers to memorize their house number because this helps the center provide quick services and respond to any emergency faster.
The center’s strategy aims to continuously train operators and hone their skills for optimum performance. There are three types of training: the first is for new employees. Any new employee will go through all tests and enroll in courses dealing with security, technology and military matters. Then the employees will be put to test and will be asked to perform inside a simulation environment. In the final phase a mentor will be assigned to train the new employees and provide them with instructions and advice.
The second type of training focuses on experienced employees who have already served at certain government agencies and enjoy technical and military skills. They will be asked to enroll in a crash courses for a week.
The third type focuses on preparing highly professional coaches by sending them abroad to advanced countries such as China, US and Germany to get training inside 911 centers there. Over 225 employees have been sent abroad for such training since the inception of the center.
“Every week, 20 employees will get additional training and they learn new skills related to communication, receiving and answering calls, quick coordination and other skills,” said Al-Ghamdi.
