Evaluati̇on of ai̇r rescue and fi̇refi̇ghti̇ng teams' (ARFF) teamwork and organi̇zati̇onal commi̇tment: The case of Istanbul regi̇on European si̇de ai̇rports.

This study was conducted to contribute to the literatüre by examining the relationship between teamwork propensity and organizational commitment among Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) teams. The research population consists of 395 ARFF personnel working at Istanbul Airport and Atatürk Airport, while the sample includes 215 ARFF personnel who agreed to participate in the study. Data collection tools included an 8-item "Sociodemographic Information Form," a 28-item "Teamwork Propensity Scale (TÇYÖ)," and a 15-item "Organizational Commitment Scale (ÖBÖ)." Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U, One-Way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, correlation, and regression analyses. Among the participants, 84.7% (n=182) were male, and 15.3% (n=33) were female. Of the participants, 49.8% (n=107) were married, and 50.2% (n=108) were single. Regarding education levels, 80.0% (n=172) had an associate degree, 13.0% (n=28) had a bachelor's degree, and 7.0% (n=15) had a postgraduate degree. In terms of job distribution, 74.4% (n=160) worked in intervention teams, 15.8% (n=34) were ARFF Dispatchers, and 9.8% (n=21) worked in administrative units. The mean service duration of ARFF personnel was 4.98±3.73 years, ranging from 1 to 34 years. Additionally, 62.8% (n=135) of the participants reported experiencing issues related to teamwork, while 37.2% (n=80) stated that they had not encountered any problems. According to the findings, teamwork propensity levels varied significantly according to sociodemographic variables. Male and married participants scored higher in internal motivation and leadership skills. As the education level increased, organizational commitment also rose; however, associate degree holders scored lower in some subdimensions. Administrative personnel scored higher than other groups in both teamwork and organizational commitment. While gender and marital status did not create a statistically significant difference in organizational commitment, education level and job roles were found to be influential. Those who did not experience issues during teamwork showed higher levels of organizational commitment. Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between age, years of service, and certain teamwork subdimensions. In particular, internal motivation, leadership, responsibility, and collaboration showed strong correlations with both teamwork and organizational commitment. According to simple linear regression analysis, organizational commitment significantly explained 12.7% of the variance in teamwork orientation, indicating a positive relationship. Based on these findings, it is recommended to organize training programs aimed at improving intra-team communication and collaboration, as well as practices to enhance leadership and problem-solving skills. Reward and career development systems should be implemented to support employee motivation. Furthermore, effective crisis management strategies and supportive managerial approaches can strengthen organizational commitment.