A breathtaking earthquake drill was carried out by Van Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate (AFAD) with the participation of nearly 60 Police Special Operations (PÖH) and Gendarmerie personnel.
AFAD Provincial Directorate previously provided "Urban Search and Rescue Training" training to 200 Police and 800 Gendarmerie personnel. AFAD carried out an earthquake drill with the participation of the Police and Gendarmerie who completed these trainings. First of all, during the earthquake drill, expert teams explained what needed to be done during the earthquake drill to the Police and Soldiers who came to support them. 5.9 people who were trapped in 3 buildings in Edremit district, which were severely damaged in the 5 magnitude earthquake that occurred as per the scenario in the exercise, were rescued with injuries. Provincial Police Chief Atanur Aydın and AFAD Provincial Director Mehmet Ulutaş also watched the drill held in the training area in the garden of AFAD Provincial Directorate.
Making a statement after the drill, AFAD Provincial Director Mehmet Ulutaş stated that they will conduct these drills frequently. Stating that they continue earthquake training for public institutions, Provincial Director Ulutaş said, “During this process, we saw how much our law enforcement forces, in particular, embraced this job. We provide 200-day training to a total of 5 Police Special Operations personnel. All of these trainings were on search and rescue. In other words, we provided all training, from debris entry technique to rescue of injured people from the debris. These trainings will continue in three levels and we have completed the first level. We are currently providing training for the second level. This year, after providing training to 200 of our personnel, they will also come to their 3rd year and after receiving this training, they will be able to participate in a possible search and rescue. "We will overcome this task by adding strength to AFAD's strength with our Police and Soldiers," he said.
Reminding that they experienced a major earthquake disaster that affected many cities in the country, Provincial Police Chief Atanur Aydın said, “Immediately after the disaster, we sent 1 helicopter, 2 UAVs and 227 vehicles to the earthquake zone. In addition, immediately after the earthquake, a total of 2 personnel, including our Police Search and Rescue (PAK) team, and then our special operations and riot police, went to the earthquake zone. We had our friends receive this training before moving to the earthquake zone. But we are in an organization where appointments occur very frequently. We asked for support from AFAD to provide the same training to all our newly arrived friends. "We thank AFAD Manager and his team for providing training to our staff," he said.