Less than 24 hours after the devasยญtatยญing earthยญquake in Turkey, the first aid workยญers from the German aid orgaยญniยญzaยญtion @fire were on the ground on Monday. With a total of 38 emerยญgency personยญnel and three rescue dogs, the team in the town of Kahraยญmanยญmaraล was busy non-stop searchยญing and rescuยญing buried victims and assistยญing in the coorยญdiยญnaยญtion of interยญnaยญtional aid. Five people were rescued and extriยญcated from the wreckยญage by the clasยญsiยญfied Light USAR team. On Sunday, the search and rescue team returned to Germany.
โFive lives saved is an overยญwhelmยญing summary of our mission,โ said Florian Zonker, who co-led the team with Johannes Gust. โThatโs when you know what youโve been pracยญticยญing for all these years and putting countยญless hours into preparยญing for.โ โDa weiร man, wofรผr man die ganzen Jahre geรผbt und unzรคhยญlige Stunยญden in die Vorbereยญitung investiยญtiert hat.โ โWe did far more than was expected of us as a Light USAR team,โ adds Johannes Gust. โOur deployยญment is designed to last five days; we have now been deployed for seven days.โ Seven days after the earthยญquake, the probยญaยญbilยญity of still being able to rescue people alive is very low - espeยญcially with the persisยญtently low temperยญaยญtures. More than 120 USAR teams are still on the ground for the final search and rescue efforts. In close coorยญdiยญnaยญtion with the United Nations Disasยญter Assessยญment and Coorยญdiยญnaยญtion (UNDAC), @fire was thereยญfore released from the mission on Saturยญday evening. On Sunday mornยญing the team started their jourยญney home.
The response team was still workยญing on several collapsed buildยญings in Kahraยญmanยญmaras on Saturยญday. Rescue dogs had struck at two collapsed houses. With techยญniยญcal locatยญing equipยญment and addiยญtional rescue dogs, the task was to verify the suspiยญcion. For this purpose, listenยญing devices were used in particยญuยญlar - search cameras were also used to look into caviยญties. However, the suspiยญcions could not be confirmed.
โUnforยญtuยญnately, part of the search and rescue teamโs job is also to deal with the fact that in quite a few cases they canโt help. At least then the hope remains that they can at least give the relaยญtives some certainty about what happened to their loved ones under the rubble,โ says Sebasยญtยญian Hodapp.
In addiยญtion, the mission team actively supported the coorยญdiยญnaยญtion of interยญnaยญtional aid under the umbrella of the United Nations Interยญnaยญtional Search and Rescue Adviยญsory Group (INSARAG). The Reception/Departure Center (RDC) at Adana Airport was initially operยญated jointly with a Swiss USAR team and then indeยญpenยญdently until deparยญture. The @fire forces there had their hands full coorยญdiยญnatยญing the arrival of more than 120 interยญnaยญtional teams. We were able to hand over the RDC to an Indoneยญsian USAR team on Saturยญday. Three @fire forces also provide active support in the USAR Coorยญdiยญnaยญtion Cell (UCC) and the Sector Coorยญdiยญnaยญtion Cell (SCC), the inciยญdent and section commanยญders. In addiยญtion, we provided IT equipยญment and supplied the SCC with an Interยญnet connecยญtion via satellite.The 38 task forces had come together from all over Germany, Austria, Switzerยญland and Armeยญnia. In the backยญground, another 40 forces from @fire, the partยญner compaยญnies Jola Rent and Heavy Rescue Germany, the Hatterยญsheim Fire Departยญment and numerยญous other supportยญers supported the operยญaยญtion with logisยญtics and home staff. The homeยญland staff mainยญtained uninยญterยญrupted contact with the operยญaยญtions team and provided around-the-clock support in situยญaยญtional awareยญness, orgaยญniยญzaยญtion of personยญnel and logisยญtics, inforยญmaยญtion and commuยญniยญcaยญtions techยญnolยญogy, public relaยญtions, and finances.
@fire - Interยญnaยญtionaler Katasยญtroยญphenยญschutz Deutschยญland e. V. is a non-profit civil protecยญtion orgaยญniยญzaยญtion that has been providยญing rapid emerยญgency aid worldยญwide followยญing devasยญtatยญing natural disasยญters since 2002. Responยญders are specially trained in wildยญland fireยญfightยญing (WFF) and search and rescue of buried victims after earthยญquakes (USAR). All of the more than 400 members are involved in national and interยญnaยญtional disasยญter relief on a volunยญtary and unpaid basis. The civil protecยญtion orgaยญniยญzaยญtion was clasยญsiยญfied as the worldโs first Light USAR Team by the United Nations Interยญnaยญtional Search and Rescue Adviยญsory Group (INSARAG) in 2021 and operยญates accordยญing to interยญnaยญtional stanยญdards. Fundยญing for operยญaยญtions, trainยญing, and equipยญment is primarยญily donor-funded.
Donaยญtion account 40 50 60
Bank fรผr Sozialยญwirtschaft, bank code 370 205 00
IBAN: DE17 3702 0500 000113 8800 / BIC: BFSWDE33XXX
