Presentation of psychological first aid activities of law enforcement officers after the earthquake wi̇th agency news

The February 6 earthquake was felt in eleven provinces of our country and caused great destruction in every aspect. Such an earthquake has gone down in history as a natural event that has negative physical, economic, environmental and social consequences, as well as psychologically challenging processes, which can take many years to overcome, and has shocking effects. Undoubtedly, in the face of a disaster such as an earthquake that occurs suddenly and has devastating consequences, people remain defenseless and wait to be rescued with a helping hand. In the aftermath of an earthquake, people waiting to be rescued are primarily assisted by units on active duty and law enforcement officers are among the first responders as they work on a 24-hour basis. The aim of the study is to identify the interventions of law enforcement officers after the February 6 earthquake that fall within the scope of psychological first aid, to reveal the importance and necessity of psychological first aid, and to raise awareness about psychological first aid training for law enforcement officers. In line with this purpose, within the scope of the study, the news on psychological first aid interventions of law enforcement officers after the February 6 earthquake on YouTube and Instagram pages of news agencies that have proven their agency journalism in Turkey in the national sense were analyzed by quantitative content analysis. In this context, it is clear that law enforcement officers fulfilled an important mission after the earthquake. As a result of the analysis, the positive reflections of the interventions that can be considered within the scope of psychological first aid practices attracted attention. For instance, the findings revealed that psychological problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, panic attacks can be reduced or prevented with these practices carried out by law enforcement officers for earthquake victims. In addition, the importance of law enforcement officers to perform psychological first aid interventions consciously and to support their professional competencies with theoretical knowledge, trainings and current practices on the subject has emerged within the scope of the study.