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he organization has nearly 1,400 employees and 277 volunteers who are
dispersed between 44 company re stations across the length and breadth
of the Kingdom. Te nature of Saudi Aramcos business means that eective
and highly trained reghters are a necessity, said Mozher Al-Qahtani, supervisor
of the companys Advanced Fire Training Center (AFTC).
BY J AMS HE E D DI N
Saudi Aramcos FrPD
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Our job is to make sure employees and their dependents
are safe thats our top priority, he added.
The department, as we know it today, was of-
cially established in 1981. Prior to this, all com-
pany re stations reported to their assigned
reneries and plants.
The Fire Protection Department (FrPD)
reghters are required to undergo rig-
orous training before they are given
the responsibility of protecting Saudi
Aramco facilities and its people.
The training is delivered at the inter-
nationally recognized Advanced Fire
Training Center (AFTC) in Juaymah,
which is supported by 14 other training
grounds around the Kingdom.
The center, built in 2005, boasts facil-
ities unmatched by most re departments
around the globe.
Right: Fireghters operate a foam master stream to
conne and extinguish a training re in process equipment.
Above: The AFTC building contains classrooms
where reghters take rigorous theoretical exams
to complement their practical training.
Left: The simulation of real res means that
safety procedures are followed strictly at the AFTC.
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Recruits are put through a difcult
nine-month program that is accredited
by Pro Board. This international recog-
nition means the FrPD graduates are
qualied to serve in any re department
in the world that uses the National
Fire Protection Associations (NFPA)
Professional Qualication Standards
widely regarded as the best around.
At the center, the stakes are high. Only
those who pass the practical and theoreti-
cal exams will go on to become reghters.
Our curriculum is internationally rec-
ognized, so only the best qualify, said
Al-Qahtani. There are no second chances dur-
ing an emergency whats at stake is the safety
of Saudi Aramcos facilities and its people. Our re-
ghters have to be the best.
One of those reghters is 22-year-old Amer Garalti, a
top-scoring graduate of AFTC.
Above: The AFTC boasts structures that resemble
a renery and hydrocarbon plant and can
simulate res on any type of process unit.
Left: Teamwork and technique are key to
extinguishing res under high pressu e.
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Saudi Aramcos Fire Protection Department (FrPD) contin-
ues to provide the best in class service and promoting fre
safety to employees and the public. In 2011, FrPD conducted
the annual fre prevention week companywide, in which the
involvement of company employees and their dependents
refected the great beneft this campaign continues to pro-
vide. FrPD has also participated in many company and pub-
lic safety campaigns to promote fre safety whenever possible.
12,500 attended fre prevention week activities companywide.
In addition to the numerous workshops and training
courses for employees and management, FrPD conducted a
bi-monthly safety campaign throughout 2011 on the diferent
risks and hazards associated with day to day activities that are
the main causes of employee injuries and fatalities.
FrPD have also pursued the mission of fnalizing a mutual
aid agreement with Civil Defense Authorities Kingdomwide
through conducting 40 joint training and emergency drills
with Civil Defense. This is in addition to FrPDs continuation of
receiving and providing the necessary assistance during real
emergencies.
Through the Government Schools outreach program,
in coordination with Community Services Department and
Government Afairs, FrPD has been able to educate children of
diferent ages about the various fre-related hazards they may
encounter and must be aware of.
Our job is
to make sure
employees and
their dependents
are safe thats
our top priority.
Below: Trainees can practice putting out res on
the deck of a vessel.
FrPD: Promoting re safety Kingdomwide
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I had no idea what the training would be like. It wasnt like I
had expected the course is very competitive and there is a cre-
ative environment, he said.
Garaltis instructors were impressed with his attitude and top
marks, and he now assists in training at the AFTC, helping to
guide aspiring recruits through the demanding program.
In order to pass you have to study hard and practice the
skills you have learned, until you master the procedures. The
course is very practical, so everything you learn is put into prac-
tice. AFTC has taken me from scratch and developed me into a
professional reghter, commented Garalti.
The centerpiece of the ATFC is the 5,000 square meter
Integrated Process Unit, or IPU. The giant structure resembles a
renery and hydrocarbon plant, and can simulate res on any
type of process unit, both onshore and offshore.
On the other side of the complex is the Integrated Structural
Tey know
they have trusted
reghters who
are trained to the
highest levels.
Above: Fireghters apply foam
to a leaking ange on an
outdoor pump.
Right: The 5,000 square meter
Integrated Process Unit is the
center piece of the AFTC.
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From the Yanbu refnery on the West Coast to the Shaybah
complex deep in the Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter), Saudi
Aramcos Fire Protection Department (FrPD) units are ready
24-hours a day, every day, to deal with any emergency.
With safety listed as a major company imperative, its no
surprise that the FrPD is one of the largest and best equipped
fre departments in the world, with more than 158 emergency
vehicles at its disposal.
FrPD is ready 24-hours a day
and education are equally important factors for keeping everyone
safe, said Al-Qahtani.
So we have several educational and outreach programs,
which we use to promote our safety messages our job is to
keep Saudi Aramco and its people safe, and we do that through
whichever way we can.
Complex (ISC) where recruits are trained to deal with interior
structural res, including shipboard res and residential res.
The center also trains various Saudi Aramco organizations,
such as the Marine and Offshore Departments, in reghting
techniques and procedures.
The complex scenarios practiced at the AFTC mean that
FrPD reghters are equipped, both mentally and physically, to
deal with any emergency situation.
The fact that our reghters are trained to international
standards is a great source of comfort to the rest of our col-
leagues across Saudi Aramco, commented Al-Qahtani.
They know they have trusted reghters who are trained to
the highest levels, he added.
FrPDs work, however, goes well beyond just responding to
emergencies, with specialist teams developing public informa-
tion and education programs. We understand that prevention
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