AFAD, "Turkey's joint forces in Disasters" with the understanding, planning and disaster management activities, implementing, directing and coordinating the activities in the port has increased in recent years. Many public institutions, professional groups and citizens benefit from the experiences of AFAD teams in the trainings they attend to effectively combat disasters.
In this context, search and rescue training is provided to both experts and volunteers at Istanbul AFAD Search and Rescue Union Directorate. Scenarios of rescuing people lost in nature, flooded or stuck in a place are also played out in the special trainings where the things to be done in potential disaster areas are explained.
Professionals of the business sometimes learn to extract a body stuck under debris or a water well, while sometimes climbing a climbing tower or doing seismic listening at the wreck site.
The trainees also learn about the mobilization for food, shelter and heating needs in the disaster area.
27 Thousand People Received Search and Rescue Training
Natural Disaster Search and Rescue Trainer Mustafa Kaya said that they aimed to raise awareness of disaster awareness in everyone from 7 to 70 within the scope of the activities carried out.
Stating that wrong interventions as well as disasters can cause loss of life, Kaya asked that people who have not received disaster training should not be concentrated in potential disaster areas.
Emphasizing that it is wrong for untrained people to enter the wreck area without thinking, Kaya pointed out that if the building has not completely collapsed, the building may collapse completely in the aftershocks and the rescue teams may be under the rubble.
“Since 1999, search and rescue training has been given to 27 thousand people. What does it mean to properly intervene in the wreck was transferred to 27 thousand people. " Kaya said that these people also transferred this information to his surroundings.
Kaya stated that urban search and rescue training lasts for 5 weeks and light search and rescue training for 5 days.
Stating that the first people removed from the wreckage were rescued by their highly educated relatives, Kaya stated that the rest were removed by professional teams.
I Think One Person From Every Family Should Attend This Training
Pointing out that many buildings are predicted to be demolished in the expected Istanbul earthquake, Kaya said, “I think that almost every family member should attend this training. They can receive these trainings individually or as a team. " he spoke.
Emphasizing that they try to speak to the people around in many earthquakes and collapses areas, this situation causes loss of time, Kaya stated that it is important for the citizens of the surrounding area to remain silent and steady during search and rescue activities.
Kaya said, “While using our seismic acoustic listening devices, the citizens around must also show this sensitivity so that we can get a clearer sound from the devices that will bring those small movements under the debris to that sound range, so that we can reach the victim as soon as possible and make the right interventions. Otherwise, sounds coming from outside will not transmit correct information to us. We will hear the sounds coming from outside on the device and we will have done wrong operations. " found the assessment.
Kaya pointed out that the people who were trained in the center are also AFAD's search and rescue volunteers and reminded that last year, at least 10 people in each neighborhood received search and rescue training with the support of the district governorships in Istanbul.
Kaya added that groups of 12 people who can go to emergency interventions in the city are on guard, and reinforcements are sent to the region depending on the magnitude of the incident.