Investigation of the disaster information level and disaster preparedness of the fire department employees of Bitlis province

This research covers the disaster information level and disaster preparedness status of Bitlis fire department employees. This research is a study in the descriptive screening model based on quantitative data. According to the theoretical model of the research, six sub problems have been created. The working universe of the research is made up of Bitlis province fire department employees. Fire department employees were selected by simple random sampling method. In the research, a previously developed measuring tool was used. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analyses were performed for the scale used in the study. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the types of disasters specific to Turkey are earthquakes and fires (87.5% and 25.0%, respectively) from the opinions of the participants. It was reached that the most important types of disasters specific to Bitlis are forest fires 35.3% and fires (32.5%). All of the participants in the research are men and %65.5 are secondary school graduates. It was determined that %55 of the firefighters did not participate in the drill organized and % 67.5 of them did not participate to Professional sports activities related to their experience in preparing for disaster/emergency situations and organized within the framework of the disaster response plan. In general, of the research, it was concluded that the disaster and emergency knowledge levels of fire department employees and the training they received for preparedness and response should be increased in a qualified manner. Keywords: Bitlis Fire Fighters, Disaster Knowledge Level, Preparation Level for Disaster