On February 6, just hours after a 7.8 and a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the nation and northern Syria, Chris Jowett, crew manager of Blackburn fire station, was sent to Turkey.
On February 16, the 32-year-old went back home after helping to save people who were buried under the debris alongside other members of the International Search and Rescue team.
Wayne Ward, Jim Davison, Adam Varey, Lindsay Sielski, and Jon Hardman were among the other Lancashire firefighters transferred abroad.
Chris remarked that it was challenging to put into words the destruction and sadness he saw throughout the Hatay province.
It's like a different universe, unlike anything you've ever seen, he remarked.
There is carnage. Thousands of people are standing atop rubble heaps looking for family while many more are sleeping on the streets. So much of it was desperate.With siren wailing, machinery running, and individuals attempting to speak to you in another language, it was almost like a sensory overload.
It's challenging to comfort family members who don't speak your language, so we also spent a lot of time doing that."
Chris described it as a "emotional rollercoaster" and claimed the team had to spend a lot of time retrieving bodies.
He stated: "After performing a rescue, you go from being on cloud nine to having everything come crashing back down.
The reality of what we were doing would hit during the breaks between missions and rescues because we were working long hours."I have two girls, and I would find it really difficult to see any kind of disaster covered in toys or kid beds.
But you would need to maintain your composure and carry out the tasks you have been given.
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