Students from the Emergency and Disaster Management Program at Serinhisar Vocational School participated in a Local Level Field Exercise on May 14, 2026, as part of the 2026 Exercises Program coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). Under the guidance of faculty members Burcu ÖZKAN and Mehmet KOZYEL, they participated as AFAD volunteers and interns in the Vocational Training in the Workplace (İME) program.
The scenario assumed a 5.6 magnitude earthquake centered in Denizli province, resulting in varying degrees of structural damage in the districts of Merkezefendi, Pamukkale, Tavas, Serinhisar, and Honaz.
Through this field exercise, students had the opportunity to observe and exchange information on ensuring incident scene safety, high-angle rescue techniques, urban search and rescue assessment processes (Assessment Search and Rescue - ASR), the operation of search dogs, the use of technical search devices, and search methods in rubble. In addition, students participating in the IME application role-played as citizens whose relatives were trapped under the rubble, according to the scenario.
Among the public institutions participating in the exercise were the Ministry of National Education Search and Rescue Unit, Pamukkale University Search and Rescue Unit, Ministry of Health National Medical Rescue Team, Denizli Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department, and Law Enforcement Agencies; while many non-governmental organizations such as the Turkish Red Crescent Society, ANDA Search and Rescue Association, Turkish Radio Amateurs Association-TRAC, Mountain Search and Rescue Association, IHH Search and Rescue Association, and SAR Search and Rescue Association also took part. In this field exercise, where only public and non-governmental organizations accredited by AFAD in the field of search and rescue participated according to the scenario, students had the opportunity to closely learn about the stakeholders of the disaster management process.
