Lt. Gen. Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani cuts the ribbon to open the Saudi International Fire Safety Conference 2019 in Riyadh.

:: Secretary-General of the International Energy Forum (IEF) Dr. Sun Xiansheng on Monday said that Saudi Arabia is setting a good example for other countries to ensure that the fire safety measures are in place.

Speaking to Arab News about the importance of this conference days after the drone attacks on oil installations, Xiansheng, said, “Saudi Arabia is a major oil-producing country and certainly gives enough attention to training people, setting a good example for other countries on how to handle such severe incidents.”

The drone attack that took place in the early hours on Saturday, has caused fires in the two major Saudi Aramco facilities.

Albadr Jannah, fire protection department manager at the Saudi Aramco said, “It’s good to have people coming together in one place to discuss fire safety, talking about the latest technology and everything related to fire safety measures.”

Organized under the patronage of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif, minister of the interior and chairman of the Higher Authority for Industrial Security, the conference was opened by Lt. Gen. Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, assistant minister of the interior for Operations Affairs, in the presence of Xiansheng and Brig. Gen. Mohammed bin Ali Al-Habddan, secretary-general of the Higher Commission for Industrial Security.

Speaking at the opening session Al-Habddan said that the conference and the exhibition will review the role of public utilities in the prevention of fire disasters and their ability to respond, in line with the framework of Saudi Vision 2030.

He stressed the keenness of the Higher Commission for Industrial Security to improve preventive measures through the development of technical, engineering and regulatory instructions to protect oil and industrial facilities and provide safety and fire prevention.

Commenting on the conference Xiansheng said that it is very important to have this international fire safety conference and invite people and organizations from around the world.

On the sidelines of the conference, training courses and workshops in various related fields have been organized to help foster awareness among citizens and residents, especially those working in the industrial sector, of how to fight a fire and how to ensure fire safety.

About 350 people are expected to participate in six specialized training programs to meet the training requirements of oil and gas companies, petrochemical industries and power treatment plants and to learn the latest technological advancements.

Alongside the conference, an exhibition has been organized featuring the latest technology, systems, software, consultancy services, and training programs in the field of oil fire safety.