The General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) in Türkiye has partnered with Amazon, one of the world's leading technology companies, to develop software that will provide instant data of personnel involved in forest fires in Antalya. The software will include a button that updates the location of personnel when their lives are at risk.
The first meeting for the software, which is planned to be used this summer in Antalya, was held last week under the supervision of the OGM's Regional Director Vedat Dikici. Other officials from relevant institutions attended the meeting, and practical experiments were carried out during the production phase of the software.
"Early detection and better communication between firefighting teams are vital for controlling forest fires, saving lives, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Dikici.
The teams also assessed a digital system for communicating with firefighting teams at the scene.
"Türkiye experiences forest fires every year, and last year alone, there were 135 forest martyrs, 14 of whom were foreigners, and 121 were Turkish. This alarming situation emphasizes the need for us to enhance our rescue measures to prevent deaths," Dikici emphasized.
"Studies show that the panic button can warn us instantly. When the personnel presses it, we can immediately trace their location and intervene," he maintained.
Wildfires, aggravated by the fallout from climate change, threaten Türkiye’s evergreen land. The country saw 226,845 hectares of forests damaged or completely burned between 2012 and 2021, with more than 61% of this loss taking place in 2021 alone.
Data from the OGM shows that 27,150 forest fires occurred across the country in the past decade. Fires, though not uncommon, appear to have increased in intensity, something blamed on strong winds spreading them and searing temperatures further aggravating the situation.
Though last year may seem the worst in terms of the size of the forests that succumbed, the highest number of fires occurred in 2013, at 3,755, one year before the country recorded its least fires in a decade at 2,149.
