The problems faced by three government disaster response teams of Ankara city during the Marmara earthquake-1999 response

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the organization/system and personal problems faced by the personnel of Ankara greater municipality Firebrigade Department (firemen), Ankara Emergency Aid and Rescue Services (ambulance personnel), Civil Defence General Directorate's Ankara Search and Rescue Unit (rescuers), who participated in the 1999 Marmara earthquake.Materials and methods: A total of 1132 individuals were in the universe of the study; the total rate of participation was 95.1% (1076 individuals). This study was a cross- sectional survey, in which self-administered questionnaires were used. The study was conducted in May, June and July of 2001.Results: Overall, 33.1% of the personnel of three government disaster response teams (356 individuals) said that they participated in the Marmara earthquake - 1999 response. The leading most important organization/system problem they faced during the Marmara earthquake was coordination (30.8%) according to the firemen, disaster management (31.4%) according to the rescuers, and coordination (41.6%) according to the ambulance personnel. The personal problems faced during the Marmara earthquake by the firemen were food problems (56.4%), accommodation problems (62.8%), safety problems (28.2%) and health problems (71.8%); according to the rescuers they were food problems (77.1%), accommodation problems (48.6%), safety problems (74.3%) and health problems (51.4%), and according to the ambulance personnel they were food problems (47.7%), accommodation problems (58.0%), safety problems (31.7%) and health problems (26.7%).Conclusion Among the organization/system problems faced by the personnel of three government disaster response teams in the Marmara Earthquake of 1999, coordination problems were the major concern. The personnel also had some personal problems such as food, accommodation, safety and health. European Journal of Emergency Medicine 11: 95-101 (C) 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.