The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department, which has the only training facility in its field in Turkey, provides firefighting and emergency management training to firefighting personnel, providing them with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience. In the facility, where private sector or public institutions can also receive training, 2024 thousand Izmir residents learned the formula for survival in risky situations in 31.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department Education Branch Directorate provides emergency training on many subjects from fires to natural disasters, search and rescue to first aid at Toros Fire and Natural Disaster Training Center. In order to train firefighting personnel to international standards, 12 instructors working at the center provide life-saving information on industrial fires, structural fires, combating hazardous material accidents, risk management and command studies.
2024 people received training in 31
The center teaches fast and effective intervention techniques for situations such as fire and natural disasters to private sector firefighters, citizens, and businesses that request them. Participants in the training are prepared for disasters with realistic intervention techniques in Natural Disaster Training Simulations. A total of 2024 people, including muhtars and students, received training in 31 by the Education Branch Directorate.
“We provide general firefighting skills”
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department Education Branch Manager Serkan Korkmaz said that the facility, which has been providing service on an area of 2004 thousand square meters since 73, is the only one in Turkey. Korkmaz said that thanks to the training provided here, fire department personnel gain effective fighting skills against incidents they will encounter in the field and citizens gain effective fighting skills against possible fires in their homes and workplaces. Korkmaz said, “The training facility provides multi-faceted training such as fire fighting, urban search and rescue, mountain search and rescue, industrial fires and multi-purpose fire, and closed area fires. Private and public institutions and organizations also benefit from fire information training. We also provide general firefighting skills in our training.”
Realistic trainings
Serkan Korkmaz, who also stated that a realistic training opportunity is provided at the center, said, “We ensure that firefighters are prepared both physically and mentally before the difficult tasks they may encounter. We also provide training on teamwork, coordination, safety and risk management. Thanks to these studies, firefighters are better prepared because they see the difficulties they encounter in the field in realistic training beforehand. This provides a fast, effective and conscious intervention opportunity. Our training facility is at a national level. It is the only training facility in our country and it constantly improves itself by closely following technological developments in the world. Training is provided with virtual reality augmented earthquake simulation and virtual reality augmented fire simulations.”
Conscious, fast and effective intervention
Fire Department Training Manager Özgür Adal Kervankıran also said that firefighters do not only participate in firefighting operations; they also undertake many difficult tasks such as floods, earthquakes, traffic accidents, search and rescue. Kervankıran, who stated that they primarily provide realistic training for firefighters to respond more consciously, quickly and effectively to incidents they encounter in the field, stated that the same service is also provided to public institutions and organizations and those from the private sector who request it. Kervankıran said, “We have a protocol with the Ministry of National Education. We have a school guest every day during the education period. We instill basic disaster awareness in our children. We provide training on all possible scenarios regarding basic disaster awareness, earthquake rescue, urban search and rescue, tunnel fires, house fires in the city, industrial facility fires, mountain search, and rope access for both public and private institutions.”
Don't underestimate the fire extinguisher
Özgür Kervankıran, explaining that citizens’ correct intervention in possible fires is of vital importance, said, “A fire extinguisher may seem small, but its effect is extremely great. Many fires are brought under control while they are still in the early stages thanks to these tools. We teach the use of fire extinguishers, their techniques, and correct intervention methods. When society becomes aware of this issue, our fight against fires becomes even more successful.”
He saved his family's life thanks to the education he received
Reminding that they go to factories and workplaces and provide training on fire, Kervankıran said: “I gave fire training at a cookie factory. They said that thanks to the training they received from us, they managed to extinguish the burning roasting machine and prevented a large fire at the workplace. The incident was brought under control before it got bigger. This is very important to me. I understand better the importance of the training we provide in terms of human life. Thanks to this training, the correct intervention of people prevents the fire from growing until the fire truck arrives at the scene. Again, one of our students who received basic disaster awareness here wakes up his family during a chimney fire and prevents damage and loss of life.”
