Perception of gendarmerie personnel on forest fires

This thesis aims to analyze the role, effectiveness and problems encountered by the Gendarmerie Organization in the fight against forest fires in the regions of Turkey with high risk of forest fires. Forest fires are a type of disaster that poses serious threats not only to ecological systems but also to economic and social structures. It is of great importance to comprehensively examine the contributions of the Gendarmerie Organization in fire prevention, intervention and improvement processes. Within the scope of the thesis study, the data collected by quantitative methods were evaluated by t test, ANOVA and Exploratory Factor Analysis and the data obtained from 304 gendarmerie personnel serving in the Aegean, Mediterranean and South Marmara regions were analyzed. The findings of the study reveal that the gendarmerie organization personals undertake a critical task in the fight against forest fires. However, training deficiencies, technological infrastructure inadequacies and low level of public awareness were identified as the most important obstacles in the fight against forest fires. The findings emphasize the key role of cooperation between the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) and the Gendarmerie General Command (JGK) in increasing the effectiveness of forest fire response. Moreover, the importance of field experience was emphasized and it was seen that serving in fire zones for at least two years was a critical factor in increasing the knowledge and experience level of the personnel. In conclusion, in order to increase the effectiveness of the gendarmerie in fighting forest fires, training programs should be expanded, technological equipment should be improved, public awareness raising activities should be increased and institutional cooperation should be strengthened.