Izmir Metropolitan Municipality is implementing the "Fire Resistant Village Project" with the Turkish Foresters Association and the Aegean Forest Foundation. The project, which aims to increase the capacity of responding to fires, will start in the Yukarı Kızılca Village of Kemalpaşa.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, which has carried out exemplary works for Turkey in the fight against forest fires, is carrying out another important work in cooperation with non-governmental organizations. A protocol was signed with the Turkish Foresters Association and the Aegean Forest Foundation within the scope of the "Fire Resistant Village Project" in order to ensure that non-governmental organizations take a strong and effective place in the fight against forest fires, to use the existing response power efficiently and to increase the response capacity of the city.
“Let's protect the forests that are our treasure”
Speaking at the ceremony, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer, said that there are many studies that need to be done jointly both on training and on equipment reinforcement for emergency response. Stating that the forest fires were intervened early with the water tankers given to the villages by the Metropolitan Municipality and the fires were brought under control before they grew, the Mayor Tunç Soyer“I believe that with these studies, much more effective results will be obtained in the fight against forest fires. I know protocols are very valuable. I wish not only for Izmir, but also for the whole country, so that we can all have the opportunity to protect our forests, which is the greatest treasure of all of us, in a stronger way," he said.
“We must all put our hands under the stone”
Aegean Forest Foundation Board Member General Manager Perihan Öztürk said that they have been working for the sustainability of forests for 1995 years since 27. Explaining that they attach great importance to non-governmental organizations, public and municipal collaborations, Öztürk said, “This cannot be a special case for just one institution or group. It should be evaluated holistically. We must all put our hands under the stone. We, as Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, have been following your work with appreciation in the last period. Unbelievable projects are coming for Izmir. We agree with many of them. "To be able to implement such a project together, in particular, is a work that we are proud of, and that we miss and await a lot," he said.
“It will set an example for Turkey”
Aegean Forest Foundation Deputy General Manager Yasemen Bilgili stated that the fires reached large sizes with global warming and continued for days and as a result, hectares of living space were destroyed. Emphasizing that fires threaten not only forests, but also animals and the lives of people in settlements, Yasemen Bilgili said: “This project will thus turn into a project where we can implement everything in an integrated manner, raise awareness and raise awareness for everyone. Maybe it will set an example for Turkey. I think we will do very important things.”
“An average of 8 thousand hectares of forests are burned annually”
Recalling the forest fire that broke out in Antalya on July 28 last year and lasted for 15 days, Ahmet Hüsrev Özkara, Chairman of the Turkish Foresters Association, said, “Since 1937, the records have been kept. An average of 8 thousand hectares of forest area is burned annually. But last year, 15 hectares of forest burned in 140 days. That's 8 times 15. It burned 15 times in 15 days. This indicates an abnormal situation. Forest fires are no longer a situation that only the General Directorate of Forestry can deal with. There is a need for cooperation, a broad consensus. The General Directorate of Forestry is the main responsible for this structure, but the roles of metropolitan municipalities are also important. If we can create a sensitive and harmonious society structure, I think that such big fires will be intervened at the very beginning. Education should be expanded to cover the whole society," he said.
“It will provide great contribution and support”
Kenan Öztan, İzmir Provincial Representative of the Turkish Foresters Association, stated that early intervention is important in forest fires and said, “If the forest villagers have a vehicle in their hands, a major disaster will be averted. The fact that metropolitan municipalities put this issue on their agenda will provide great contribution and support to the fight against forest fires. That is why this step we have taken is so important.” İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department Head İsmail Derse emphasized that they have taken another important step in the fight against forest fires. Derse emphasized that 18 percent of the forested areas were kept under control thanks to the Intelligent Warning System, which operates with 72 cameras in 62 towers.
What is the fire resistant villages project?
Within the scope of the Fire Resistant Village Project, risk analyzes will be made, and the neighborhoods and villages within the forest with a high fire probability and adjacent to them will be resistant to fire. Within the scope of risk management; It is aimed to support the intervention, preparation and improvement works to be carried out before, during and after the fire with training and practices. In addition, it is aimed to prevent fires at their source, to minimize them, to identify fires in sensitive periods, and to perform the first response through a trained and equipped team to be formed from the people of the neighborhood. The project will expand starting from the Yukarı Kızılca Village of Kemalpaşa in the first place.
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