My name is Donal and I am the Chief of the KAUST Fire Department (KFD). I am originally from Ireland and came to KAUST three years ago, after working in the Dublin Fire Brigade for 32 years.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we at the KAUST Fire Department, had to restructure our operational tactics in what is called a “Rising Tide” situation, focused on maintaining our continued professional level of emergency response. The key is to stay ahead of the flow to prevent being caught by surprise and overwhelmed.
I am very fortunate to have on my team a vastly experienced Deputy Chief, John Simpson, who served for over 30 years at the London Fire Brigade.
We have a team of 89 officers, firefighters and support staff. The entire crew that normally lives in Jeddah is now living in KAUST which maximizes the level of emergency cover for the KAUST community. Normally, 22 officers will work together on the same watch, but we had adjusted from four to three watches, adopting a ‘Family Concept’. The three ‘families’ work together and live together with no inter-watch overtime. I have to say it is wonderful having our entire team on site, living among the community they protect.
Additional to the KFD officers and professional firefighters, we rely on a group of 40 Volunteer Firefighters (KAUST Volunteer Fire Department – KVFD) from across our wonderful diverse community. The KVFD was established almost three years ago and we used to meet every Wednesday night for training and development sessions. The Volunteers are trained in core competencies such as hose management, pump operation, familiarization with equipment and procedures, incident command support, first aids and many other skills. They have already been deployed three times during the COVID-19 crisis – assisting at the Gate 1A, establishing Tamimi’s safety system to ensure re-opening, and delivery of face coverings to the entire community.
The primary role of the volunteers is to jump in at little or no notice and assist KFD in any incident that requires additional resources. That function transcends into emergency volunteering wherever required throughout the community. The volunteers also assist KFD at all major events. I am very proud of all the members in KVFD as I am equally proud of the KFD Officers and firefighters. The two groups work seamlessly together and the camaraderie and mutual respect is a fantastic thing to be a part of.
We have 7,500 people here, so we have 7,500 different stories. We are all affected in some way, especially those of us far away from home. We are fortunate to be in KAUST where the Coronavirus is being so well managed. In many places around the world, the situation has been poorly handled. Also, many people had lost their jobs. So, when we get a bit uptight and worried, we need to look at the bigger picture and put things into perspective. Fortunately for me, my wife is here with me but my 4 children and 2 grandkids are back in Ireland. Two of my kids are due to get married, but the plans are a bit on hold. I miss them all the time and I am so lucky to be WhatsApping, Zooming, Skyping.
Our role is to face this challenge with composure, compassion for each other throughout the world and also curiosity to learn from this to safeguard our future generations. I sincerely believe that the greatest positive we can take away from these hard times is that the world will realize how collectively vulnerable we are regardless of nationality or beliefs, and we will emerge from this with a stronger mutual respect for each other in life.
