Saudi Red Crescent welcomes approval of national emergency response safety policy

The Saudi Red Crescent Authority has welcomed the Cabinet's approval of the national policy to enhance emergency response safety in public places and workplaces. The Authority, which will lead the implementation efforts, said the policy will strengthen community preparedness, promote early emergency response, and help increase survival rates and save lives.

The Authority described the Cabinet's approval as an important national step to reinforce the emergency safety system and unify the roles of relevant entities. The policy aims to boost readiness for emergency cases in public and workplace settings, improve survival rates in critical emergencies—especially cardiac and respiratory arrests outside hospitals—by expanding the availability of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) devices, training responders, developing national capabilities in first aid and CPR, and raising community awareness about the importance of early intervention.

The national policy is based on five main pillars: emergency safety in public places, rapid emergency response, empowering the community to handle health emergencies, enhancing response to out-of-hospital cardiac and respiratory arrests, and defining the roles and responsibilities of relevant agencies in the emergency response system.

The Saudi Red Crescent Authority will lead the policy's implementation, drawing on its expertise in emergency response, training, and public awareness. This includes preparing responders, improving site readiness, supporting the provision of CPR and AED devices, and enabling community members and workers to manage emergencies in the crucial first minutes until emergency teams arrive.