Employees at the fire watchtower in Ankara’s Kızılcahamam stand guard round the clock at the tower located at an altitude of 2,020 meters (7,217 feet), ready to respond to possible forest fires.
The 63-year-old tower constructed on the summit of Işık Mountain in Ankara establishes connections with four province forest management offices and 11 operation directorates with employees being continuously deployed at their positions, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported Monday.
The tower oversees the forests of Ankara, Çankırı, Kırıkkale and Kırşehir against potential wildfires.
Hourly or half-hourly radio communications, depending on the weather conditions, facilitate information sharing about the forest's status.
Additionally, the thermal and security camera system installed in the tower records images of the Kızılcahamam forests 24/7, which are simultaneously transmitted to the Fire Management Center.
Precautionary measures taken after recent forest fires are also monitored from the fire tower.
Any activity detected in restricted areas, where entry for picnickers is prohibited, is immediately reported to the teams, thus preventing potential risks.
The four forest workers stationed at the watchtower work on a rotating basis, each working for a week at a time.
These workers, who consider their weeklong fire duty as a patriotic mission, shared the importance of their work with IHA.
Mustafa Akça, who works at the Forest Directorate reiterated that the monitoring occurs on a rotational basis at the Işık Mountain Fire Watchtower.
"We monitor day and night on a rotating basis. We oversee the Kahramankazan Gerede side, Çankırı, Kızılcahamam and Çerkeş areas. We intervene in possible fires," Akça explained.
"As soon as we spot smoke, we know which area the fire is heading toward. We deploy fire trucks and initial intervention vehicles. Depending on the fire's situation, helicopters and planes are called in," he added.
In addition, Akça said they deploy terrain vehicles depending on the size and appearance of the fire.
“Sometimes we call for additional vehicles from neighboring provinces. If the fire is significant, we call for helicopters," he said.
Due to their high-altitude location, the watchtower workers have a broad field of view. However, Akça called on citizens to be cautious and ensure that forests stay preserved for future generations.
He also noted that in the event of a potential fire, their teams can be ready to respond within approximately one and a half minutes from the Işık Mountain Fire Watchtower.
