HCIS Requirements: Fire Protection at Industrial Facilities
The High Commission for Industrial Security (HCIS) regulates industrial security at the facilities under its supervision, covering security, safety and fire protection. It is organizationally linked to the President of the Council of Ministers, its board is chaired by the Minister of Interior, and it issues regulations and instructions for the facilities it supervises, including its Safety and Fire Protection (SAF) directives.
The Safety and Fire Protection directives
The general document SAF-01 (version 2.0, dated 2 April 2017) sets the general requirements for companies and organizations under HCIS supervision and refers to specialist directives, including:
| Directive | Subject |
|---|---|
| SAF-03 | Buildings for industrial facilities |
| SAF-04 | Fire protection systems and equipment |
| SAF-06 | Plant layout, spacing and access |
| SAF-08 | Storage tanks and vessels |
| SAF-09 | Fireproofing in plants |
| SAF-11 | Emergency shutdown, isolation and depressuring |
| SAF-20 | Pre-incident planning and management of emergencies |
What HCIS requires on fire protection projects
- Selecting a fire protection consultant and contractor approved by HCIS.
- HCIS review of the consultant’s front-end engineering package, then of the contractor’s installation package.
- Submission of installation drawings, calculations and cause and effect diagrams for detection and alarm systems.
- Using the latest editions of referenced standards, such as NFPA standards, at the design stage.
- Defined steps for inspection, testing, maintenance and commissioning.
Saudipedia lists 13 sectors under HCIS supervision, including petroleum, electricity, petrochemicals, water, gas, mining, ports, railways, civil explosives, chemical industries and military industries. Because SAF-01 does not mention Civil Defense, it is advisable to confirm with the authorities whether the facility needs separate permits alongside HCIS approval.
Practical steps now
- Confirm whether your facility is under HCIS supervision, and identify the directives that apply to it.
- Appoint an HCIS-approved fire protection consultant before design starts, and an HCIS-approved contractor after HCIS has reviewed the front-end engineering package.
- Prepare drawings, calculations and the cause and effect diagrams early, because their review goes through more than one stage.
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