Balkans | Search and rescue teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina receive training in cooperation with TIKA

Search and rescue teams across Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the training held in the capital, Sarajevo, in cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

It covers training, search and rescue and first aid, which will continue until May 13 by TIKA, the International Doctors Association (AID) and Ankara Search and Rescue (Ansar).

The Coordinator of TIKA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Erdenc Işık, stated that TIKA has been organizing such trainings since 2017, and said: “This year, we have gathered search and rescue teams and medical teams. 60 people from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina are attending the training.” He said.

Işık said that 200 people have been trained in search and rescue in Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding that the importance of this training was shown in the earthquakes that hit Kahramanmaraş on February 6.

“We applied what we learned in training in Türkiye”

As part of the training, the teams conducted a search and rescue operation in one of the buildings damaged in today’s earthquake.

The commander of the Novi Grad search and rescue team, Fahrettin Dobraca, who also participated in the search and rescue efforts in Turkey, stated that they are continuing training and exercises with the experience they gained from Turkey, and said they are working to strengthen the teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Herzegovina.

Dobraka explained that they made sure that 10 people were rescued from under the rubble in Türkiye.

Bilma Mehmic, another search and rescue team, stated that she participated in search and rescue activities in Turkey and said, “Thanks to this kind of training, we have done an important job in Turkey. We applied what we learned earlier. Of course, the only difference is that emotions play a role.” He said.

Teacher Omer Unal indicated that he has been attending training courses in BiH since 2017 and that the purpose of the trainings is to increase cooperation and capacity.

In the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, 13 teams of 234 people from Bosnia and Herzegovina arrived in the earthquake zone and participated in search and rescue efforts.