فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Search and rescue (SAR) is a component of emergency and disaster response. SAR teams arelimited in number; thus, collecting information on their characteristics may facilitate the establishment of mutualagreement protocols between countries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of theTurkish Civil Defense SAR Units.Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in 11 provinces of Turkey from July 2008 to October 2009.Interviews, observations and records were used to gather data, and descriptive statistics are presented. Toevaluate the adequacy of personnel and equipment, a Likert-type scoring system was used (0-4 points).Results: The size and population density of regions served by SAR Units varied. The mean duration of groundtransportation from SAR Unit bases to the furthest provinces in their regions was 4.0±1.2 hours. The mean gatheringand loading times were 70.5±42.3 and 48.6±18.0 minutes, respectively. The total employment ratio was55.6%. The surface and underwater rescue section showed the highest functional sufficiency (3.3±0.7). Themean value for adequacy of SAR equipment was 2.6. Deficiencies were identified in periodic medical check-ups,preventive health measures and after-mission medical examinations for the personnel.Conclusion: There is a need for standardization and improvement in various characteristics of SAR Units.