Fire Middle East Conference explores the role of inspections in fire prevention and response systems

Opening the 2025 edition of the Fire Middle East Conference, Eng. Saleh Alzahrani – General Manager of the Saudi Arabia Accreditation Authority – explored the critical role of inspections in strengthening fire prevention and response systems.

Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 agenda demands a new level of rigour in fire-safety inspections, according to Alzahrani.

Addressing delegates at the conference, Alzahrani stressed that inspection is ‘one of the main processes that protects lives and property-if it fails, systems fail.’ He warned that complacency over training, equipment care and professional ethics could undermine national safety goals.

ISO 17020 at the heart of reform

Saudi Arabia has committed to benchmarking its inspection bodies against ISO 17020, the international standard that sets out competence and impartiality requirements.

“We focus today on ISO 17020 accreditation for inspection bodies in fire-alarm and firefighting systems,” Alzahrani explained. “The current 2012 edition is being revised, and a new version is expected by the end of 2025.”

Only government entities-not private firms-may grant this accreditation, he noted: “In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Accreditation Centre is the sole authority to issue ISO 17020 certificates.”

People first mentality

While technology supports modern inspections, Alzahrani emphasised that final judgement rests with qualified individuals.

“Inspection is a human-judgement activity. You must trust your skills and experience before you trust your devices,” he said, cautioning that social or commercial ties must never influence an inspector’s verdict.

The standard therefore scrutinises recruitment, continual training and ethical safeguards.

“Inspectors handle sensitive data. We must ensure they keep all information confidential and never leak it on social media-or anywhere else,” he added.

Equipment care and calibration

Faulty or mishandled instruments can invalidate an entire safety assessment. All sensitive devices, Alzahrani said, must be stored properly, transported in dedicated cases and calibrated only at laboratories accredited to ISO 17025- a legal requirement in the Kingdom.

“If a lab is not accredited, do not contract with it-you’ll be working outside the law and risking fake calibration certificates,” he warned.

Building global credibility

Founded in 2014 and fully operational since 2019, the Saudi Accreditation Centre has already secured international mutual-recognition arrangements, giving local certificates global weight.

Alzahrani closed with an invitation: “Proper inspection ensures safe systems and saves lives. My team is ready to support any organisation that wants to raise its game.”

Find the full keynote speech here.