What citizens should do
- Avoid lighting fires and barbecues in and around forest areas.
- Have picnics only in permitted picnic areas.
- Do not throw rubbish, plastic, glass bottles or broken glass into the forest.
- Do not smoke in forests or throw cigarette butts by the roadside.
- Prevent stubble burning; warn anyone attempting it and inform the authorities.
- Avoid burning garden and field waste.
- Do not use flammable items such as fireworks and sky lanterns at weddings and other events near forests.
- Do not park vehicles in places with dense dry grass.
- Avoid any behaviour that could damage power lines or start a fire.
- If you notice a fire hazard, report it by calling the 112 Emergency Call Line or the 177 Forest Fire Reporting Line.
Measures the authorities should take
- Access to forests should be restricted during periods of high fire risk, and inspections and the number of teams should be increased.
- Safety measures should be taken in high-risk areas with power transmission lines, and cable spacers should be used.
- The number of fire response teams and vehicles should be increased.
- Specialist fire personnel should be trained and exempted from rotation.
- AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority), the General Directorate of Forestry and fire brigades should hold joint drills outside the fire season to review their preparedness.
- Fire-prone forest areas should be maintained regularly.
- Roadside pruning and clearing of dead ground cover should be carried out to reduce fire risk.
- New recreation areas should be created to meet public needs and made available free of charge.
- Buffer zones of broadleaved trees should be created in forest areas bordering farmland, and flammable material should be cleared.
- The number of water collection ponds should be increased to strengthen the fight against wildfires.
- Afforestation of natural clearings should be avoided.
- Evacuation plans should be prepared for fires, and fire training should be given to village residents.
- Fire-risk areas close to farmland should be identified, and fire response teams should be stationed there.
Measures needed at policy level
- An adequate budget should be allocated to firefighting to meet staffing needs.
- Fire management plans ensuring cooperation between AFAD, the General Directorate of Forestry, municipalities, universities, military units, security forces and NGOs should be drawn up, and the necessary legislation should be adopted.
- Action plans against large fires should be drawn up and implemented, taking climate change scenarios into account.
- Civil society organisations should take part in wildfire commissions.
- Safety standards for power lines passing through forests should be redefined.
- Permits granted under the relevant articles of Forest Law No. 6831 should be restricted.
- Measures should be taken to increase the resilience of forest ecosystems.
- Legal arrangements should be made to strengthen the powers of fire chiefs.
