Umut Öcal’s passion for firefighting has led to him becoming Turkey's only volunteer firefighter with his own private truck.

The 45-year-old man living in the northwestern province of Kocaeli bought an old truck from a junkyard 12 years ago, repairing it and converting it into a fully equipped fire truck. Currently, he is the only person in the country officially registered to use his own fire truck.

Whenever a fire breaks out, Öcal offers his services to professional firefighters, however, his focus is forest fires. Last year, he was in the southwestern town of Marmaris as the country grappled with wildfires, aiding professionals and other volunteers who battled the blazes.

Öcal, a radio communication expert, decided to become a firefighter after seeing the first responders' efforts to rescue people following the 1999 earthquake, which devastated his hometown. He underwent firefighting training in Kocaeli before traveling to New York and California for further specialized training on responding to urban fires and wildfires.

"The desperation of people after the earthquake prompted me to find a way to help them. When I decided to operate a fire truck, I found out that it was a complicated process to own one. It took long but finally, I received all the permits to operate my own truck. It is an old vehicle but really sturdy and can maneuver easily," he told Demirören News Agency (DHA) on Tuesday. His truck can carry 2.5 tons of water.

Öcal’s expertise in radio communications helped him tune into the firefighters’ radio network and respond to emergencies. "The truck is of better use for intervention to forest fires, in rough terrain. It functions better than regular fire trucks usually operating on asphalt roads," he says.

Öcal, who also has a master’s degree in disaster management, says Turkey and the world face a heightened risk of forest fires due to climate change. "Everyone should be able to do something to combat them," he says.

He points out that it is a costly job. "You have to have expensive insurance as you are prone to the possibility of accidents. But I love doing this job anyway, especially when I see my family appreciating my volunteer work," he says. "You can have enough money to buy new cars but it will be nothing if you don’t have the clean air (the forests supply)," he adds.