Fighting fire with science, engineering, and now — diversity

Standing at a distance, intrigued guests stand mesmerized as they watch a team of Saudi Aramco firefighters advancing deliberately, methodically moving forward into a wall of dense smoke and roaring flames during a training exercise designed to challenge firefighters’ skills.

In an orchestrated maneuver, team members suddenly disappear into the billowing smoke as flames race overhead — their presence now indicated only by the pulsing hoses that trail out of every door and window.

Soon the torrent of dense smoke is joined by intermittent puffs of bright white steam, and eventually, the thick plume of smoke and steam diminish as the firefighters’ silhouettes once again appear in the building’s doorways and window openings. They exit the building, pulling hoses out of doors, carefully descending ladders, and pushing open windows to allow fresh air to sweep the remaining wisps of smoke from the structure.