It is not known when and to what extent the earthquake, which is the reality of Turkey, will occur. The only thing that is known is that there is no way to prevent it and it is necessary to be prepared by taking precautions against a possible earthquake.
Checking the soundness of the building we live in should perhaps be the first step in dealing with an earthquake. In addition, it is vital to know what to do during and after an earthquake. Especially for those who live in earthquake country like Turkey…
It is possible to add more to what we can do individually in the face of an earthquake. AFAD teams are always at the scene, next to the victims after natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and fires. They provide high-level support to our citizens who are victims.
Well, did you know that besides the professional AFAD teams, many volunteers also work under the umbrella of the institution? Even if the destruction and losses experienced after the disaster activities are nothing, there is a need for people who know what to do in the face of these for those who experience the feeling of uneasiness.
We Need Volunteers
How to become an AFAD volunteer, what trainings are received, what is the importance of volunteers for AFAD teams and earthquake victims?
We went to the AFAD campus in Istanbul to volunteer to answer these questions. In the first training we attended, we talked to Istanbul Provincial Disaster and Emergency Training Branch Manager Tezcan Buçan about the road map of volunteering.
Buçan explained the importance of volunteers for AFAD: “For us, an AFAD volunteer is a person who offers his knowledge, experience and experience to the people of this country without expecting any financial benefit. When there is a disaster, the material and moral damage caused by the disaster will be great. The way to minimize this damage is through our volunteers. We need them,” he said.
There were many volunteers in the training we attended. As Buçan stated, the volunteers were at the AFAD campus in order to be useful to themselves, their families and their environment when necessary, regardless of any benefit.
Who can volunteer?
Every citizen over the age of 18 with an e-government password can become an AFAD volunteer. After the training they have completed, the volunteers are equipped to provide emergency support until the professional team reaches the disaster area after a possible disaster.
Buçan explained what trained volunteers can do until professional AFAD teams arrive in the region:
“We have an amateur light search and rescue training that can solve the part until the professional teams arrive during and after the disaster. What is this? We have a training where they can learn to ensure the safety of the crime scene and the citizens there, guide them to the assembly area, and learn to search the debris by voice, hand and eye. We have some tools and machines that we use. We also provide training on their use.”
Tezcan Buçan conveyed the details of the post-registration training process as follows: “After registration, they complete 6 trainings here. Then, from whichever province our citizen has applied, our citizens become the main AFAD volunteers. They complete the training on the system and we invite them to become AFAD volunteers and take them to our field trainings.”
Buçan says that after the completion of online training, citizens can start field training on a suitable date for them and adds:
“Our citizen chooses the date that suits him, and we take him to 5-day training on weekdays. Within this 5-day training, we provide training on extinguishing small fires and setting up AFAD tents of 16 square meters.”
It should not be forgotten that AFAD teams also play a very important role in calming the victims. Buçan also emphasizes the importance of psychological education in the volunteer system:
“The truth of disaster ethics and disaster psychology is very important when working during a disaster. We have a training program on how to act on the feelings and thoughts of our citizens who have been affected by disasters. God forbid, we have a basic first aid training in order to eliminate the problems that may arise regarding the first aid that we may encounter.”
I Know All Kinds of Explosions But This Was Something Different
Yavuz Aydın is one of those who participated in the training to become an AFAD Volunteer. He explained that he faced many dangers due to his profession, but the earthquake was nothing like them:
“I was a special operations officer, I was a team sergeant in the military. I mean, I know all kinds of bombs and I know how to explode, but this was something different. We receive our training and learn what to do in emergencies such as first aid, fire, earthquake. As AFAD volunteers, we are trying to serve our nation as much as we can. We are needed. One thing is missing, you are missing, you are missing, I am missing… AFAD needs support.”
Pınar Özçeker, on the other hand, had experienced an earthquake before and did not know what to do at that time, so she decided to volunteer. He explained that he joined AFAD because he wanted to raise awareness and be useful to those around him:
“Our country is a known earthquake zone. Earthquakes can happen at any time. It is necessary to create an awareness, it is necessary to be conscious about it. That's why I volunteered for AFAD. We were quite unconscious when we experienced earthquakes in the past. We didn't know what to do so we ran outside. I am here because I want to be useful to myself, my family and my environment by learning what to do during an earthquake.”
As a result, the earthquake is a fact that is clear as day. It is clear what can be done. To become an AFAD volunteer, don't say "what would happen if I wasn't", a lot will happen if you are there...
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