Balıkesir Fire Department Earns Turkey’s Fifth Medium‑Level AFAD Accreditation

The Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department successfully completed the AFAD‑run Medium‑Level Accreditation Certificate Program after a six‑to‑seven‑month period of theoretical training, practical drills and final evaluations. With 788 personnel covering a 14 million‑square‑metre area, the department met criteria in fire suppression, rescue, flood response, earthquake search‑and‑rescue and other emergency operations, qualifying it for international disaster missions.

The achievement makes Balıkesir the fifth fire service in Turkey to receive the medium‑level certificate, joining Istanbul, Kocaeli, Konya and Manisa. Fire Department Head Nazım Ergelen and Municipal Secretary‑General Mehmet Refik Gündoğan highlighted the extensive preparation and expressed pride in bringing the accreditation to the province.