Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), affiliated to the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey, Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş. awarded a "Certificate of Appreciation" to its firefighters for their contributions to extinguishing the fires in Mersin's Aydıncık District and Yeşilovacık District in the summer of 2021. Certificates of appreciation were presented to the firefighters at the fire department of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NGS) construction.
Akkuyu Nuclear Inc. First Deputy Director General and Director of NGS Sergey Butckikh presented the documents to the firefighters. Certificates of appreciation were given to 38 fire safety officers of Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş. by AFAD.
Sergey Butchkikh congratulated the firefighters for their success and said: “The forest fires in Mersin last summer were considered extremely dangerous. The fires were brought under control and extinguished as a result of your joint efforts with the local fire department. You have prevented all possible fire threats in the area around the NPP construction and thanks to you, the construction works continued in their normal course without stopping. But the most virtuous part of your job is to save people's lives and protect residential areas, hospitals, woodlands, gardens and farmland. The certificates of appreciation you received today are a well-deserved reward for your hard work and professionalism.”
The fires in Mersin had grown in July of 2021. As of 28 July, Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş.'s firefighters performed double shifts and supported Mersin's emergency officers to extinguish the fires in the residential areas around Aydıncık and Yeşilovacık. By the morning of 30 July, the fires in Aydıncık were completely extinguished. Afterwards, firefighters and equipment were sent to this area to stop the spread of the fire in Yeşilovacık. The fire in the area was completely extinguished on the evening of August 1. The fire, which broke out in an area of 500 hectares in the region, was evaluated as the "highest level of danger" according to the classification accepted by the Republic of Turkey.
Akkuyu Nuclear Inc. Roman Melnikov, Chief of Fire Safety Unit, described the process as follows: “In July 2021, local authorities asked Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş. to support the firefighting efforts in the Aydıncık area. The fire was spreading at an incredible rate and the local forces were not sufficient to carry out the firefighting efforts effectively. We immediately formed a fire brigade with our spare vehicle and organized in such a way that firefighters could replace each other in an emergency. Every employee participated in the firefighting efforts. We are very pleased that our efforts are appreciated.”
Extinguishing works were carried out jointly with the local fire brigades in Mersin and the employees of the local forest organizations, who coordinated the work of the firefighters and shared the areas to be responsible. In addition to firefighting works, Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş. The Fire Department also participated in the evacuation of local people and animals.
Akkuyu Nuclear A.Ş.'s Fire Department worked overtime during the fires to make sure the Akkuyu NPP construction area was safe. The Fire Safety Unit still continues to work at the construction site. The teams constantly monitor the site and check its compliance with fire safety requirements.
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