The earthquakes in August and November 1999 changed the lives of many people in Turkey. Especially seeing the inability of the state in helping people made quite a few people think twice. So I decided to learn all that I can, so that I can be of more help the next time (God forbid) a disaster strikes. Following is a list of what I have learnt with this purpose.

Emergency Medical Technician Training (November 1999-May 2000)
At Marmara University, Office of Health, Culture and Sports

• Scene and patient assesment
• Splinting and bandaging
• Spinal immobilization
• Airway obstruction
• Rescue breathing
• Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Loss of consciousness
• Shocks
• Fractures
• Bleeding
• Skin Burns
• Poisoning
• Drowning
• Blood pressure
• Recovery
• Lifting and carrying techniques
• First aid kit

Search and Rescue Training - April 2000
At Civil Defence Organization of Turkey

• Various knots
• Descending
• Sliding on a rope
• First aid
• Rescuing in
  • Earthquakes
  • Fire
  • Flood
• Operating technical equipment
  • Chain saws
  • Power drills
  • Electric generators
  • Cutter/separator sets
  • Air cushions for lifting
  • Search Cams
  • Audio Tracking/Locating sets
  • Ascenders and descenders

HAM Radio (CEPT Class 2 License) - May 2000; (CEPT Class 1 License) - November 2004
Training at Turkish Radio Amateurs Club (TRAC) and licence certification by Telecommunications Institution (TK) of Turkey.

• Operating
• Legislation
• Electronics
• Morse (in May 2002)

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training - September 2001
(Based on FEMA's CERT training.) 80 hours; at Search and Rescue Society (AKUT).

• Types of disasters
  • Earthquakes
  • Floods
  • Heavy snow
  • Dangerous materials
• Fire fighting
  • Flammable liquids
  • Combustible materials
• Triage
• Vital medical help
  • Fractures
  • Bleeding
  • Skin burns
  • Hypothermia
  • Frost bites
• Basic medical check-up
• Setting up an operation area
• Public health and hygene
• Light search and rescue
  • Planning
  • Evaluation
  • Search
  • Rescue
• Lifting and supporting concrete blocks
• Disaster psychology
• Team organization

Seafarers' Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW '95) (September 2002)
At Seafarers Union of Turkey

• Fire prevention and fighting
• First aid
• Personal survival
• Personnel safety and social responsibility.

Advanced Fire Fighting Techniques (January 2003)
At Istanbul Technical University's Maritime Faculty
Including fire supression practice.

Fire suppression Techniques (September 2003)
At Istanbul Fire Brigade's Fire Fighting School

• Structure and development of fire
• Types of extinguishing agents and how to use extinguishers
• Natural gas and LPG
• Dangers at the fire place
• Fire fighting equipment and breathing apparatus
• Rescue and first aid
• Fire prevention and organization
• Fire supression practice

Fundamentals of Emergency Management Training (March 2004)
5 days; at Istanbul Technical University, Centre of Excellence for Disaster Management [Based on FEMA's training programmes]

• Causes and types of emergency situations
• Emergency management and planning
• Disaster preparedness and contingency planning
• Disaster exercise and practice planning

Needless to say I am heavily involved with the fire brigade as a volunteer fireman, with the civil defence organisation as an emergency radio communications operator, as well as several other organisations in Turkey as a search and rescue volunteer.

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