Minister Yumaklı said in his speech at the “Green Homeland Heroes on Duty” program at Selçuk Efes Airport in Izmir that they see fighting forest fires as a responsibility to protect the homeland and leave a stronger Turkey for future generations.
Pointing out that rising temperatures, longer dry periods and strong winds due to the effects of climate change increase the risk of wildfires, Yumaklı stated that they continue their preparations every year with a stronger, planned and technological approach.
“Compared to last year, we increased the number of our aircraft from 146 to 161.”
Emphasizing that aircraft are one of the most important factors in firefighting, Yumaklı said:
“Today we protect our green homeland from forest fires with 28 aircraft, 119 helicopters and 14 unmanned aerial vehicles. With this performance, we have the capacity to drop a total of 462 tons of water. Compared to last year, we have increased the number of our aircraft from 146 to 161. Our aircraft are in use all over the country, in regions with a high fire risk.”
Emphasizing that with the 11 new deployment points added this year, they aim to enable aircraft to respond to fires more effectively and quickly, Yumaklı said: “In particular, the new deployment points in the western Black Sea will significantly reduce the time required for our aircraft to reach the fire area in these regions.” he said.
Stating that very light class helicopters could be used more effectively for rapid intervention in the first minutes of fire, Yumaklı explained that they increased the capacity of land forces.
Pointing out that they have significantly increased the firefighting land forces, Yumaklı said: “We have increased the number of water sprinklers from 1766 to 1930, the number of initial response vehicles from 2,742 to 2,000 751, and the number of construction equipment from 831 to 868. In addition to our existing pools and ponds, we will build 55 new pools and ponds. Thus, the number is of pools and ponds used for firefighting will be 4,000.” It will reach 852,” he said.
A new side in firefighting: support through artificial intelligence
Regarding technological infrastructure studies, Yumaklı continued as follows:
“Turkey is one of the countries that uses technology most effectively in the fight against forest fires. Thanks to our unmanned aerial vehicles, we monitor our forests instantly over large areas. We see the smoke earlier, assess the fire risk faster and direct our teams to the field much more effectively. Today, in the fight against forest fires, we act not only with eyesight, but also with artificial intelligence, instant data, decision support systems and strong coordination. In 2026 we will use our fire risk maps powered by artificial intelligence. These maps include Temperature, wind and many parameters such as humidity, topography, type of combustible material and dryness. Thanks to the system that can predict the risk of fire 7 days in advance, we strengthen the prevention measures in areas where there is a high probability of fire. In other words: we not only intervene in the event of a fire, but also identify the risk of fire in advance and plan our preparations on site accordingly.
Yumaklı pointed out that the number of combat organization personnel was increased by 3,000 to 28,000 this year and that they worked in coordination with more than 138,000 volunteers.
“Please do not light fires or throw cigarette butts in our forests”
Yumaklı called on citizens to be sensitive and concluded his words as follows:
“Last year, 91 percent of fires were caused by humans. One negligence, one moment of inattention, one moment of carelessness can jeopardize years of work, the habitat of thousands of creatures and the common good of our nation. That is why the sensitivity of our citizens is as important as our fight on the ground. Please do not light fires in our forests, do not throw cigarette butts. Let us not burn stubble, let us stay away from risky behavior. If we see suspicious smoke, report it We call him immediately to the emergency call center 112. Let us not forget that extinguishing the fire is important: “The most effective way is to prevent a fire from starting.”
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