Determining the capacity of dog search and rescue teams

In addition to disasters and emergencies such as earthquakes, cases of missing persons are increasingly encountered in daily life in our country. To ensure rapid and effective response to disasters across the country, various search and rescue methods have been developed. One of these methods is the use of dog search and rescue teams. Dog search and rescue teams are highly effective and efficient tools for detecting individuals under rubble, locating missing persons, and conducting search and rescue operations in disaster-affected areas. These teams play a critical role in post-disaster search and rescue processes. Especially in major disasters such as earthquakes, avalanches, and landslides, dogs are highly successful in locating people trapped under debris. These teams are stationed in the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Samsun, Erzurum, Adana, Van, Diyarbakır, Afyonkarahisar, and Sakarya. The teams consist of search and rescue personnel, primarily including veterinarians. This study aims to determine the capacities of dog search and rescue teams through a survey. An online questionnaire was administered to 19 search and rescue personnel working in dog search and rescue teams. The study analyzed the operational capacities of the teams, trainer profiles, dog competency levels, regional distributions, and task effectiveness. The findings indicate that the current capacity is occasionally insufficient, and there is a need to improve access and response times, especially in rural areas. This study aims to contribute to improving search and rescue performance during disasters by providing recommendations for capacity enhancement.