HISTORY OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN TURKEY

Fires play a big role in a city's history. Their destructive influences must be absolutely involved in the assessment of city history. Perhaps in terms of this view, İzmir is of special importance. Fires and natural disasters have an important place in the history of Izmir. The fires in İzmir history led to permanant changes in the physical characteristics of the city. Organised fire provention began in the Ottoman Empire and has evolved into the modern Turkish Fire departmant of today.

During the Ottoman Empire city firefighting was performed by the Janissaries. The Bosphorus, coastal villages and the sea coast were controlled by Bostancılar who replaced the Sea Police. If the growing fires could not be extinguished, wooden houses in it's path were perposely destroyed to create dead zones to prevent the fires spread. It is known that the Ottoman Sultans themselves encouraged the fire fighters by participating themselves .

Suleiman The Magnificent ordered the new houses built after the fire in the Edict of 18 February 1560 to be without fringes. Sultan II Selim and III Murad ordered that every home should have a staircase and a full barrel of water to reach in their homes ınstead ofrunnıng from the fıres.

These ınnovatıons and the organization of firefighters occured ın 1710. This ıs also the year ın whıch the first fire brigade in France was established.

In 1714, the Tulumbaci Ocagi, which was attached to the Janissary, was established. Tulumbaci Ocagi formed the basis of modern firefighting ın Turkey. After serving the country for 110 years, it was ended by the removal of the Janissarıes.

During the reign of Abdulaziz, after the Istanbul Sehremaneti and municipal offices were established, a team of Tulumbaci was given the name of Daireli.

In 1871, after the Big Beyoglu Fire, an expert officer with the order of Abdulaziz from Hungary, who was called “The Count Szec Odan Senyi” was commissioned and on the 26th of September, 1874, the Fire Brigade Regiment was established, wıth addıtıonal help gıven by the neighborhood Tulumbacis.

On 25 September, 1924, a law enacted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly founded the formation of the fire department ın all local municipalities under the name “itfaiye”.


IZMIR FIRE DEPARTMENT HISTORY

Organızed fıre fıghtıng ın Izmır began durıng the last quarter of the XIX century. During the 1880's, fire brigade services in Izmir were being carried out by British, German and French insurance companies. But these were separate teams. In 1897, under the guıdance of the Hungarıan expert, Gros Kovic Sude, modern firefighting was established in Izmir. In 1897, a fire watch tower of ten meters tall was built at Yusuf Dede, and when a fires broke out, they were loudly announced with ball guns. Foreign companies in Izmir had also set up their own special fire units. These units had “vapuraki” named pumps that were more technologically advanced. Each neighborhood had a team of pumpers of local roughneck volunteers. They gathered when a fire broke out, and after estinguishıng the fire they would take bakhsheesh from the owner of the burning property.

However, even all these measures could not prevent the great fire in 1922. The destruction of this fire was devastatıngly extensıve: the foreigner's neighborhoods were completely destroyed.

Lesson learned in fire: Construction of fire station

In the early years of the republic, the municipality attached great importance to the organization of the fire department. During the period of Usakizade Muammer, necessary equipment was provided and a municipal fire department was formed from 40 people. With a new law dated March 20, 1924, the management of all the fire station services passed to İzmir Municipality.

Between 1930 and 1932, the fire station building was built, and from 1932 to 2001, the building served as the fire department center. It now serves as the Ahmet Piriştina Kent Archive and Museum.

Until 1997, the Izmir Fire Department served as the Directorate. In the same year, it became the Fire Department. From 2001 to present, it has continued to serve in Yenisehir/Konak. The İzmir Fire Department served with 3 units, between 2001 and 2013. After 2013, it was were separated 5 units and 4 regions and the organizational structure was renewed. It was organized as 7 directorates after the Fire Brigade Forest Villages and Rural Area Fires Intervention Branch Directorate established in 2021 and the Fire Brigade Disaster Coordination Branch Directorate established in 2022.
Since 2015 The Izmir Fire Department has been providing fire brigade services to 30 districts and 62 fire stations, with 301 vehicles and 1459 fire fighting employees.