Turkey donates mobile fire surveillance cameras
FIVE solar-powered mobile surveillance cameras donated by Turkey to the TRNC to be used against forest fires have been installed in designated forest areas, and a fire helicopter stationed in North Cyprus also swung into action for the first time.
“With the instructions of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and under the coordination of our Vice President Fuat Oktay, Turkey continues to share all its opportunities with the TRNC for the solution of their problems in every field,” a statement issued by Turkey’s Lefkoşabased Development and Economic Cooperation Office (KEİ) said
In addition to providing “technical means”, the statement emphasised that Turkey has contributed more than 10 million saplings in the last 10 years for the purpose of developing and protecting forest areas for the TRNC to “become a green island again”.
Turkey “strengthens the TRNC Forestry Department’s vehicle fleet every year to develop forestry and for early and effective response to fires” the statement added.
The KEİ said that the five mobile fire surveillance cameras, and two mobile solar panels, which were donated by Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Ministry and presented to Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister Nazım Çavuşoğlu by Turkey’s Lefkoşa Ambassador Ali Murat Başçeri on April 21, are capable of detecting picnic fires from 3km away.
The cameras then send an alert about the detected fire to the relevant places over the internet.
Meanwhile it was revealed that a Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Ministry’s Forestry General Directorate fire helicopter stationed in the TRNC since June 23 has taken part in its first mission.
The Kamov 32, a double-engined fire helicopter with a take-off weight of 12,700 kilos, has the ability to drop 3.5 tonnes of water in one go.
It “successfully completed its first mission by responding to a fire that broke out between Serhatköy and Gayretköy on June 26” the KEİ said.