YADEM “Aksigorta Fire and Earthquake Simulation Center”
The Aksigorta Fire and Earthquake Simulation Center was originally established in 1996 at the General Directorate building in order to provide children under the 7-14 age group with training to protect themselves from catastrophes like fire and earthquakes, and to raise their awareness of insurance. The center was moved to Şişli Municipality’s Science Center in November 2008 so more children could visit.
At YADEM, which is open every day of the week, thousands of children have been educated on fire and earthquakes. The center is still visited by more than 100,000 children every year.
Training Accompanied by Earthquake and Fire Simulators
Fire and earthquake training is provided by specialist instructors to all visitors, accompanied by Earthquake and Fire Simulators at the Şişli Science Center.
Visitors at the earthquake section are first given 20-minute theoretical earthquake training. After this briefing, visitors are taken to the earthquake simulator, ensuring that they apply what they are taught while they experience the earthquake. In the Earthquake Simulator, various earthquake scenarios with magnitudes changing between 4.5 and 7.4 are applied in 2-D.
Visitors in the fire section are given 20-minute basic fire training. In practice, visitors are asked to extinguish a small virtual fire, thus reinforcing what they have learnt. The operating principles of the fire warning system are also taught in a practical manner.
Raising risk awareness in our country, which has suffered serious substantial and spiritual damage after such catastrophes as earthquakes and fire, and teaching children what to do before and during the catastrophe is a social responsibility which we apply with YADEM. One of Aksigorta’s other targets is to generalize compulsory earthquake and house insurance in Turkey, a country with serious earthquake risk.
For further information on YADEM, please visit www.bilimmerkezi.org.tr