In brief
Emergency team members in firefighting, rescue and protection teams receive specific training for their duties; it can be delivered by the workplace's OHS specialist, the workplace physician or the bodies listed in the legislation, and is documented with the signatures of the employer and the trainer. The legislation sets no hours or repeat frequency; however, every newly appointed person must be trained and teams should be refreshed hands-on together with the annual drill.
Who is an emergency team member, and what is the training based on?
Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety defines an emergency team member as a person specially assigned, in addition to their main job, to prevention, protection, evacuation, firefighting, first aid and similar tasks, with suitable equipment and adequate training (Art. 3). The definition itself requires training: if an employee who has not received emergency team member training is on the list, the obligation is not considered fulfilled.
Emergency team member training sits at the intersection of three sets of rules:
The first aid team falls outside this article: training for emergency team members in the first aid team follows the Regulation on First Aid, the certificate is valid for 3 years, and the refresher is taken within the 3 months before it expires. For how many people each team needs and how the number is calculated, see our emergency plan guide.
How many hours is emergency team member training?
This is the most frequently asked question, and the answer is clear: the legislation does not set a duration in hours for emergency team member training. The Regulation on Emergencies requires the training to be "specific", and the fire protection regulation requires it to be "practical" when it comes to using extinguishing equipment. This training is not part of employees' basic OHS training (8 hours for less hazardous, 12 for hazardous and 16 for very hazardous workplaces); it is given in addition to it.
Instead of duration, ask this question: at the end of the training, can this person do their job? If a firefighting team member can choose and use the right extinguisher, and a protection team member can complete the headcount at the assembly point within a few minutes, the training has achieved its purpose. When planning the training, the size of the workplace, the hazard class, the fire load and the teams' previous experience are decisive.
A common module for all teams
Whatever team they are in, every emergency team member should know:
- The workplace's emergency plan, the identified emergencies and scenarios
- How the alarm is raised and what to do first on hearing it
- Who the team leader is and how teams communicate with each other
- Escape routes, the assembly point and the evacuation order
- The locations of electricity and gas isolation points, fire hose cabinets and extinguishers
- How to alert external response teams; that teams come under the command of the fire officer when the fire brigade arrives (fire protection regulation Art. 128)
- Their own safety: when not to intervene and when to withdraw
Training content by team
| Team | Duty | Theory topics | Practical part |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighting | Immediate response to fire, preventing spread, extinguishing | Combustion and fire classes, extinguisher types, fixed systems, electrical and flammable liquid fires | Using extinguishers and fire hose cabinets, approaching and withdrawing from a fire |
| Rescue | Search and rescue after an emergency | Search pattern, effects of smoke and heat, casualty carrying methods, employees needing assistance | Room-by-room search, dragging and blanket carry, getting out of a smoke-filled area |
| Protection | Preventing panic and confusion, coordination, headcount, informing external teams | Assembly point management, headcount lists, access control, handover of information | Directing evacuation, headcount, rehearsing a briefing to the fire brigade |
Firefighting team training
The essence of firefighting team training is using an extinguisher against a real fire. An employee who gives the right answer in theory may forget to pull the pin or aim the nozzle at the base of the fire the first time they face one. In practice the following behaviours are built: approaching the fire with the wind or air flow at your back, keeping the exit route behind you, aiming at the base of the flames rather than the top, withdrawing when the extinguisher runs out, and checking a fire that appears to be out before leaving it. Using a fire hose cabinet is a two-person job and is practised in the same session. For types, see our article on fire extinguisher types.
Rescue team training
Rescue team training teaches fast but systematic searching: marking the door of a searched room, listing easily missed places such as toilets, stores and changing rooms, staying low in smoke and checking a door's temperature before opening it. A single-person drag, a two-person blanket carry and a chair carry are practised. People who will assist elderly, disabled and pregnant employees are identified in advance in the emergency plan, and the rescue team knows this list. Entering unprepared to reach someone who has collapsed in a confined space leads to a second accident; in such spaces only a pre-planned rescue method is used, see working in confined spaces.
Protection team duties
Protection team duties are often the least understood. This team directs the evacuation, prevents panic, coordinates between teams, carries out the headcount at the assembly point and informs external response teams when needed. One or more persons from the protection team are assigned to coordinate between teams. For an accurate headcount, the team must have an up-to-date list of staff, visitors and contractors. Making sure nobody goes back into the evacuated building is also the protection team's job.
How to set up the practical part
The practical part is the most frequently skipped but most valuable part of the training. A good practical plan includes:
- Using extinguishers in a controlled fire area: Every firefighting team member actually discharges an extinguisher at least once.
- Working with the workplace's own equipment: Opening the fire hose cabinet, taking extinguishers from their brackets, the location of emergency lighting and the alarm button.
- Short scenarios: A fire starting in the warehouse, an employee trapped on the stairs, a person missing at the assembly point.
- Review: After each scenario, what went well and what did not; gaps are noted.
We deliver theoretical and practical fire training, so teams do not have to use an extinguisher for the first time in a real fire. For details, see our fire training page.
Refreshers: when the team changes and with the drill
The legislation does not set a fixed repeat frequency for emergency team member training. However, the situations that make refreshing the training necessary are clear:
- Team changes: A new appointment is made to replace an emergency team member who leaves or changes workplace (Regulation on Emergencies Art. 11/10). The team is not complete until the new person is trained.
- Shift pattern: The shift pattern is taken into account when appointing emergency team members and their deputies (Art. 11/8). When a new shift starts, that shift's team is trained as well.
- Plan changes: The emergency plan is renewed at least every 2 years in very hazardous, 4 years in hazardous and 6 years in less hazardous workplaces, and whenever significant changes occur. A new building, a new department or a new hazard means the training must be updated too.
- Drill results: A drill is held at least once a year and the gaps observed are written on the drill form. If the form shows gaps relating to the teams, a refresher is given on that subject; for how to design a drill, see our article on emergency drills.
Our practical recommendation is for teams to do a short hands-on refresher before the annual drill. That way the drill is not an exam but an exercise that reinforces the training.
The 2026 basic administrative fine for breaching emergency obligations is 22,194 TL for each obligation and is applied every month the breach continues. To track team, training and drill dates together, see the OHS calendar tool, and for setting up the teams and preparing the plan, our emergency plan service.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours should emergency team member training be?
The legislation does not set a duration. The training should contain enough theory and practice for the person to be able to carry out their duty. It is given in addition to basic OHS training.
Must we get the training from the fire brigade?
It is not mandatory. Without prejudice to the Regulation on the Fire Protection of Buildings, the Regulation on Emergencies states that this training may also be delivered by the workplace's OHS specialist, the workplace physician or an employer who carries out the service personally; the fire brigade, municipalities, AFAD and the other bodies listed in the legislation may also deliver it. The fire protection regulation provides for drawing on the local fire brigade in team training, so cooperation with the fire brigade is especially useful in drills. The training is documented with the signatures of the employer and the trainer.
A team member has left; when should the replacement be trained?
A new appointment is made to replace the person who left, and the team is not complete until the new person is trained. Make the appointment and deliver the training without waiting for the next drill.
Can emergency team member training be delivered remotely?
The legislation contains no specific provision on this; however, "practical" training is required for using extinguishing equipment. Even if theory topics are covered remotely, the extinguisher, fire hose cabinet, carrying and headcount exercises should be done face to face.
An emergency plan that really works on site, with scenarios, support teams, evacuation diagrams and an annual drill.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.