The ‘National Workshop on Village Fires’, organized in cooperation with Kastamonu University and Kastamonu Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate (AFAD), started on 3-4 October 2024, hosted by Kastamonu Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate. The workshop, which was held to develop policies and strategies against village fires, one of Turkey's major disaster types, brought together representatives of public institutions and organizations.
Governor of Kastamonu Meftun Dallı, Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, Head of the Department of Fighting Forest Fires Mustafa Songur, AFAD Vice President Dr. Önder Bozkurt and Kastamonu AFAD Provincial Director Dr. Suat Tüfekçi made speeches at the opening of the workshop.
Delivering the opening speech of the workshop, Kastamonu AFAD Provincial Director Dr. Suat Tüfekçi emphasized the importance of raising awareness and preparedness of society in the fight against village fires. Stating that it is essential for the local people to gain an understanding to prevent fires and to be able to intervene quickly, Dr. Tüfekçi noted that the program of the workshop will form the basis of the decisions to be taken. He also stated that the participants will share their knowledge and experiences through presentations and discussions.
Mustafa Songur, Head of the Department of Fighting Forest Fires of the General Directorate of Forestry, stated that village fires cause material and moral destruction and emphasized the importance of technological innovations and training in the fight against fires. Stating that utilizing technology, establishing early warning systems, and raising awareness of the village people are among the priorities in the process of intervention to fires, Songur stated that training activities should be carried out, especially on disaster preparedness. He also stated that such workshops provide a great opportunity to raise awareness.
In his speech, AFAD Vice President Dr Önder Bozkurt stated that AFAD is ready to fight against all kinds of disasters, including village fires. Pointing out that it is important not only to extinguish fires but also to take preventive steps, Bozkurt emphasized that AFAD will continue to provide technical equipment and training support in this field. He stated that the suggestions and presentations to be made at the workshop will make important contributions to the disaster policy of the country.
Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal stated that the disasters experienced in our province caused serious life and economic losses. He emphasized that events such as drought, floods, earthquakes, and fires make prevention and intervention efforts compulsory. Pointing out that 87% of fires are caused by human hands, our Rector stated that forest and village fires pose a great risk for Kastamonu.
Our Rector mentioned the importance of the workshop organized to develop strategies and action plans for village fires and stated that Kastamonu, which has witnessed 1700 village fires, needs urgent solutions in this regard. Drawing attention to the importance of inter-institutional cooperation and coordination, our Rector emphasized that the sustainability of projects such as the renewal of electrical installations for the protection of wooden houses is critical.
In addition, our Rector stated that it is vital to raise awareness about the prevention of fires, starting with education, and that the legislation should be strictly enforced and inspections should be increased, and expressed his belief that the workshop will play an important role in the preparation of Kastamonu village fires master plan. He wished that the workshop would be beneficial for our province and our country.
Kastamonu Governor Meftun Dallı, in his opening speech at the National Workshop on Village Fires, emphasized that Kastamonu is home to many types of disasters as well as its natural and cultural richness. Reminding about the 2021 Bozkurt flood, 2018 hail disaster, and 1943 earthquake, Dallı stated that the risk of encountering meteorological disasters such as excessive rainfall, drought, and landslides has increased in the future due to climate change. Pointing out that village fires are an important type of disaster, Dallı stated that the workshop, which was organized with the support of the AFAD Presidency and with the contributions of Kastamonu University, aims to develop strategies to prevent village fires with expert evaluations. It was stated that 45 institutions and 110 participants will take part in the workshop and there will be 5 thematic tables where intervention, training, and new technologies will be discussed.
Governor Dallı stated that it aims to create a Village Fire Prevention Action Plan and Master Plan with the outputs of the workshop and that he believes that these studies will be useful for other provinces. At the end of his speech, he thanked all participants who contributed to the workshop and Kastamonu University.
On the first day of the workshop where the participants will discuss firefighting issues in various sessions, the current situation regarding village fires will be analyzed. The level of awareness of the public against fires will be measured through surveys and the results will be evaluated.
