Erzurum AFAD Trains Divers – Last Minute

ERZURUM Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate has been training its own divers since 2022. Three divers who received the title of ‘fishman’ a while ago will become ‘frogmen’ by completing the challenging training they received in the lakes, streams and rivers around the city center.

AFAD teams, who play an important role in natural disasters and work to save the lives of others, continue their training. 3 divers working under Erzurum AFAD are being given ‘frogman’ training so that they can work in inland waters such as rivers, lakes and streams. Divers from the Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate Underwater and Surface Search and Rescue Unit, who went to the Teke Creek location, which is 2,500 meters above sea level, with their special vehicles, were trained.

Metin Yılmaz, who has been working as a diver at the Erzurum Disaster and Emergency Management Office for 15 years and also providing training, stated that ‘divers’ can dive deep in the sea, while ‘frogmen’ can dive deep in rivers, lakes and streams that have no visual evidence. Yilmaz said, “I have been working as a diver in Erzurum AFAD since 2015. As of 2022, we are protecting the 6-person team by training the ‘fishman’ and ‘frogman’ ourselves. We are providing training to our 3 teammates who have a ‘fishman’ license with the training they received a while ago at Teke Creek Irrigation Pond. After completing this training, if they are successful in the exam they will take, they will receive the ‘frogman’ certificate and will be able to participate in missions that may arise throughout the country. This year, floods occurred due to the heavy rain. We participated in 8 different missions in provinces such as Muş, Elazığ, and Erzurum. We searched for our citizens who were lost in the water and found them in a short time. The difference between the ‘fishman’ and the ‘frogman’ is that the ‘fish’ works in the seas and the ‘frog’ works in inland waters.”

Muhammet Enes Yılmaz, one of the divers working at the Erzurum AFAD Provincial Directorate, said, “We are receiving search and rescue training with our team leaders at Teke Creek Pond. We will receive circular search and rescue training here. We are divers, we are working to get a ‘frogman’ certificate. If we pass the exams, we will become ‘frogmen’. This job is such that a single mistake can cost us our lives. This is a job entirely of the heart. Human life is very important to us. If we can save a person alive, there is no one happier than us. Nothing can prevent this happiness.”