Programme overview
Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Inspection walkthrough
Introduction
Facilities in Saudi Arabia need a valid Civil Defence safety licence to operate, and the 2024 edition of the Saudi Fire Code, SBC 801, has raised the bar for fire protection systems, egress and records. Blocked exits, impaired sprinklers or missing maintenance records lead to failed inspections, licence delays and, in the worst case, loss of life. This coreconcept Saudi Arabia course trains the staff who run buildings to apply SBC 801, Civil Defence requirements and the NFPA standards they reference. Through inspection walkthroughs, participants produce a Fire Safety Compliance Audit and Civil Defence Readiness Plan for their own facility.
Course Objectives
- Explain how Saudi Civil Defence requirements, SBC 801 and the referenced NFPA standards combine to set a facility's fire safety obligations
- Determine the occupancy classification of a facility and the egress, detection and suppression provisions that follow from it
- Apply inspection, testing and maintenance schedules to fire alarm, sprinkler, standpipe and extinguisher systems
- Control everyday fire risks from hot work, hazardous materials storage, housekeeping and system impairments
- Prepare the evidence a facility needs for a Salamah safety licence application or Civil Defence inspection
- Produce a Fire Safety Compliance Audit and Civil Defence Readiness Plan for the participant's own facility
Target Audience
- Fire safety officers and fire wardens responsible for day-to-day fire precautions
- Facility and building operations staff maintaining commercial, industrial and public buildings
- Maintenance supervisors overseeing fire protection system contractors
- HSE officers who prepare for and accompany Civil Defence inspections
- Property and site coordinators handling safety licence applications and renewals
Course Outline
Day 1: Fire Safety Foundations and the Saudi Compliance Landscape
- Fire Tetrahedron, Classes of Fire and Fire Spread Mechanisms
- Saudi Fire Compliance Landscape: Civil Defence Requirements, SBC 801 and Referenced NFPA Standards
- SBC 801 2024 Edition Structure and Alignment with the International Fire Code
- Occupancy Classification Under SBC 201 and Its Fire Protection Consequences
- Facility Fire Safety Baseline Review Checklist
Day 2: Fire Codes, Systems Standards and Fire Risk Assessment
- Means of Egress: Exit Capacity, Travel Distance and Exit Lighting Under SBC 201 and NFPA 101
- Fire Detection and Alarm Systems Under NFPA 72
- Sprinkler and Standpipe Systems Under NFPA 13 and NFPA 14
- Portable Fire Extinguisher Selection and Placement Under NFPA 10
- Fire Risk Assessment Method Under ISO 16732-1
Day 3: Running Fire Safety in a Facility
- Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Systems Under NFPA 25
- Fire Alarm Testing Records and Contractor Service Reports
- Hot Work Fire Precautions and Fire Watch Under SBC 801
- Hazardous Materials and Flammable Liquids Storage Controls in SBC 801
- Fire Safety Signage and Evacuation Plans Under ISO 7010 and ISO 23601
Day 4: Civil Defence Licensing, Inspection Findings and Impairments
- Salamah Platform Safety Licence Application and Renewal Evidence
- Common Civil Defence Inspection Findings: Blocked Exits, Impaired Systems and Missing Records
- Fire Protection System Impairment Management and Interim Fire Watch
- Change of Use, Alterations and Existing Building Compliance Gaps
- Fire Warden Organisation and Fire Drill Evaluation Form
Day 5: Inspection Walkthroughs and the Civil Defence Readiness Plan
- Commercial Building Walkthrough: Egress, Detection and Suppression Checks
- Warehouse Walkthrough: Storage Arrangement, Sprinkler Clearance and Flammables
- Fire Protection Records Audit Against NFPA 25 and NFPA 72 Schedules
- Fire Safety Compliance Audit and Civil Defence Readiness Plan Drafting
- Peer Review and Corrective Action Plan Defence
Skills You Will Gain
- Fire Code Interpretation
- Occupancy Classification
- Fire Protection System Maintenance Oversight
- Fire Risk Assessment
- Impairment Management
- Safety Licence Preparation
- Fire Safety Inspection
Why Attend This Course
- Return to work with a Fire Safety Compliance Audit and Civil Defence Readiness Plan for your own facility, reviewed by peers
- Walk into a Civil Defence inspection knowing which records and system checks will be asked for
- Judge whether a fire protection contractor's service reports actually meet the required schedules
- Exchange practice with facility and safety staff from other sectors running buildings under the same code
Conclusion
Fire safety compliance in Saudi Arabia is continuous: systems must work, exits must stay clear and records must prove it at every inspection. This course moves from fire behaviour and the Saudi compliance landscape, through SBC 801, the referenced NFPA standards and fire risk assessment, to the daily running of fire safety and the licensing, impairment and inspection issues that trip facilities up. The final day applies that material in inspection walkthroughs and produces a Fire Safety Compliance Audit and Civil Defence Readiness Plan for participants' own facilities.