CIVIL DEFENCE

READY OF DİSASTER

   INTRODUCTION

  The goal and purpose of the Civil Defence Organisation is to minimise the life losses and other types of losses during warfare or any natural disaster. The main purposes of the organisation are set out as follows:

   a) securing the lives and assets of the civilians during a warfare;

   b) saving lives and assets of people during natural disasters;

   c) reducing the damage to the lives and the assets of victims in a fire;

   d) in case of damage, to renew, repair and protect public and private institutes which has vital importance;

   e) support of every defence effort during the war by the civilians;

   f) raising the morale of civilians during a warfare.

   Furthermore, civil defence is described as the whole of unarmed, protective and rescuer measures and activities. The Ministry of Interior in Turkey is responsible for the realisation of civil defence services. The General Directorate of Civil Defence has been carrying out these services under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior. The organisation consists of both central and provincial organisation. The central organisation includes General Directorate, Civil Defence College and Warning and Alarm Centres. Provincial Organisations have been set up as Province and Town Civil Defence Directorates, Civil Defence Local Forces and Civil Defence Search and Rescue Units Directorates.

   BACKGROUND

   Civil Defence Services in Turkey were organised under the supervision of the Turkish Armed Forces in 1928.

   The purposes of this organisation was to protect the areas outside the battlefields from possible air attacks.

Application of the preventive measures in Turkey goes as early as 1928. In that year, a regulation, called as"Defence of the areas behind battlefields against the air attacks", was decreed. Civil defence services were provided in accordance with this regulation until 1938. Furthermore, "Passive Protection Law" was put into effect in 1938 and remained until 1959.

   Due to the use of the long range of aircraft and weaponry during the Second World War II, arrangements were review, and in 1952, after Turkey's entry into NATO, the Civil Defence systems of the member countries were also examined. In 1959, a 'Civil Defence Act' was put into effect, organising today's Civil Defence Organisation and its activities.

   CIVIL DEFENCE ORGANISATION

   I. CENTRAL ORGANISATION

   Central Organisation consists of the following units:

   a) General Directorate of Civil Defence
   b) Civil Defence College
   c) Warning and Alarm Centers.

   II. PROVINCIAL ORGANISATION

   Civil Defence Services planned and executed by central organisation are fulfilled by the following provincial service units nationwide. These are:

   a) Province and Town Civil Defence Directorates,
   b) Civil Defence Local Forces
   c) Civil Defence Search and Rescue Units Directorates

   FUNCTIONS OF CIVIL DEFENCE ORGANISATION

   The responsibilities of General Directorate of Civil Defence are as follows:

   a) to set up the Civil Defence Services nationwide and to ensure the planning application, coordination and supervision of measures taken by the public and private establishments;

   d) to train Civil Defence staff and inform the public about the Civil Defence,

   e) to manage the Civil Defence funds;

   f) to fulfil the Ministry's Defence Secretariate duty;

   g) to perform other duties given by special laws.

   Civil defence organisation carries out these functions through central and provincial organisations in accordance with the Civil Defence Act.

   CIVIL DEFENCE SEARCH AND RESCUE UNITS

   BACKGROUND

   The first Civil Defence Unit was established under the auspices of General Directorate of Civil Defence in 1986 in Ankara aiming at performing emergency rescue, first aid and social relief services. It was formed by the surplus soldiers assigned by Turkish Armed Forces and officers of Civil Defence Organisations.

In the light of the experience gained from the 1983 Erzurum, the 1992 Erzincan earthquakes and the former disasters, the Civil Defence General Directorate decided to establish professional Rescue Teams in certain areas. So, while the surplus soldiers and officers from the Civil Defence Organisations were replaced by the professionals in Ankara in 1993, two new Civil Defence Units formed by the professionals were also establised in 1996 in İstanbul and Erzurum.

   Until the late 1999, 61 personnel in Ankara, 24 personnel in Istanbul and 30 personnel in Erzurum were employed in these three units. These units participated in a number of search and rescue activities as shown in the tables below.

   Following the 1999 Marmara and Düzce Earthquakes, the Civil Defence General Directorate has established eight civil defence search and rescue units, each of which consists of 110 or 120 personnel and deployed them in various provinces (Adana, Afyon,Bursa, Diyarbakır, İzmir, Sakarya, Samsun and Van). In addition, civil defence teams, each of which consists of 10 or 20 personnel, have also been established in all provinces where civil defence units are not established.

   These search and rescue staff are trained at the Civil Defence College in Ankara.

   DUTIES OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE UNITS

   a) to fulfill search and rescue, first aid and social relief services during a warfare, natural disasters and big fires;

   b) measurement of the NBC substances and to convey it to the related authorities and to assist decontamination activities during disasters, accidents and a warfare;

   c) to coordinate search and rescue activities of both foreign and local search and rescue teams during a disaster;

   d) to provide social relief and temporary lodging services for refugees;

   e) to prepare weekly, monthly and yearly education and training programs and carry out them in order to improve physical capabilities of the personnel with a knowledge of practical and theoritical issues;

   f) to train search and rescue teams assigned by the public and private institutions and search and rescue teams of NGO's;

   g) to plan and carry out the day and the night exercises;

   h) to participate in training and exercises to be organized both in the country and abroad and to participate in search and rescue activities abroad when necessary or requested;

   i) to assist the Civil Defence College and the Governerships during the practical parts of rescue, first aid and social relief courses;

   j) to perform communication, gathering and mobilisation exercises in order to reach a disaster area rapidly

when necessary;

   k) to fulfill other duties given by the Interior Ministry and the Governorships.

   ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT IN 1992- 2001

    ACTIVITIES OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE UNITS IN THE MARMARA EARTHQUAKE

ACTIVITIES OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE UNITS IN THE BOLU-DUZCE EARTHQUAKE

ACTIVITIES OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE UNITS IN THE AFYON - SULTANDAĞI EARTHQUAKE

ACTIVITIES OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE UNITS IN THE FOREIGN COUNTRIES

CIVIL DEFENCE COLLEGE

   Civil Defence College was established in 1960 in order to educate and train the civil defence staff and works under the auspices of the Civil Defence General Directorate of the Ministry of Interior. It is located in Ankara (at the 10th km mark of Istanbul Highway). It is the only education and training institution, which provides greater level of knowledge of civil defence issues for related personnel.

   The complex's area is 11,790 square meter and the area it occupies is 45.600 square meter. There are a total of 4 units in the complex:

   a. Management Services Unit

   b. Social Services Unit

   c. Education and Training Unit

   d. Others

   There are two general classrooms for 40 persons and four classrooms for groups of 15. There are also 2 lecture rooms for 108 and 45 persons. Two libraries serve the students. In addition, the college has meeting, management and resting centres. There are also radioactive fallout shelter, guidance headquarters, open fire areas and two buildings, one of which is half damaged and the other is fully damaged, used for exercises, for rescue training. A five-storey tower for rescue training and an emergency food centre are used for training purposes as well.

   The curriculum of the college is changable and new programs are developed every year in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency in accordance with the recent developments. Training and education activities carried out at the College are focused on search and rescue and first aid issues because of recent earthquakes occurred in the country.