Training seminars for Emergency Services of the Republic of Turkey took place at Akkuyu NPP
25 October 2022, Büyükeceli, Mersin Province, Turkey. – A series of training seminars for employees of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), fire departments and the Forestry Department of the Republic of Turkey has been completed at the Akkuyu NPP construction site. Representatives of the operational services were involved in an intensive training program for a month and they familiarized with the organizational structure of the fire safety service, the NPP under construction, the complexes for the continuous operation of the fire department, learned the principles of the national legislation for fire safety at nuclear power plants, studied the features of the technical means of the control system.
More than 100 representatives of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), fire protection units and Forestry Departments from the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Antalya, Gaziantep, Kahramanmarash, Kayseri, Konya, Kilis, Niide, Osmaniye, Karaman and Hatay visited the seminars. Guided tours at of the Akkuyu NPP construction site were organized for the seminar participants. They examined the nuclear power plant facilities under construction, residential towns of builders and fire protection facilities.
During the seminars, special attention was focused on general information about nuclear energy, Akkuyu NPP and radiation protection programs at NPP. A practical demonstration of extinguishing a simulated fire on the territory of the construction site was held at the end of each seminar. The high level of interaction between the fire protection units of the Forestry Department of Mersin province and the AKKUYU NUCLEAR Fire Safety Service allowed to develop the coordinated joint actions in the areas of extinguishing a conditional fire, organize continuous water supply and interaction via communication means. Firefighters also elaborated the order for receiving fire reports and sending additional forces of fire departments located in the village of Büyükeceli – the nearest settlement to the Akkuyu NPP construction site.
Head of the Coordination and Fire Extinguishing Department of Mersin Fire Department Ali Temiz: “The coordinated work of the fire departments is very important, they should share their experience and principles of their work organization. Only this approach permits us to remain professional and ensure a high level of safety in the region. I hope to continue the mutual cooperation with our colleagues from the Akkuyu NPP site.”
Ali Erçan Gökgül, Head of the Regional Office of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) in Osmaniye Province: “Increased fire safety measures are also being taken in our province due the construction of the Akkuyu NPP. Now we understand the organization of works on ensuring fire safety at the NPP construction site. We discussed these points with colleagues from other emergency services in the region. I am sure everyone involved in the training would benefit from additional information about the principles and order of radiation protection measures implementation.”
Hasan Say, Deputy Head of the Training Center Office of the Emergency and Disaster Management Department of Kayseri Province: “We spent three days on the territory of the Akkuyu NPP under construction studying the operation principles of fire protection systems. We knew on the work of the fire department, its structure, and saw their well-coordinated work during the exercises. We received new knowledge and we are satisfied with the completed training: lectures, instructors' support and their readiness to answer each arising question. I think it will be useful if such seminars are held on a regular basis.”
Bülent Guleç, Search and Rescue Technician of the Emergency and Disaster Management Department of Adana Province: “We familiarized ourselves with the work done by our colleagues in the NPP fire department during the three-day training at the Akkuyu NPP construction site. We participated in a sightseeing tour, we familiarized ourselves with the fire department team, knew about their training and work. We exercised joint action scenarios of various incidents during the training sessions. The training was very productive. I am grateful to our supervisors and colleagues at Akkuyu NPP.”
Head of the Fire Safety Service at AKKUYU NUCLEAR Roman Melnikov commented successful conduct of the seminars: “Safety culture is a priority in absolutely every aspect of Akkuyu NPP specialists' work. It is the main and decisive factor for our fire safety service specialists as well. Firefighters work 24 hours a day, and their experience has become useful for colleagues from other fire departments and forestry specialists of the Republic of Turkey. Positive feedback on the results of a whole series of seminars delighted us in particular. The extinguishing of last year forest fires in Mersin province demonstrated a high level of coordination and qualification of our specialists. We are ready to share our experience.”
