**FIRE SAFETY IN HOTELS FROM THE CONSUMER'S PERSPECTIVE – PANEL DISCUSSION** Organized by IIHSE and the IHSE International Fire Safety Commission, this panel will take place on February 22, 2025, at 20:30 (GMT+3) on IIHSE's YouTube and LinkedIn channels. The panel will feature speakers Ahmet Sertkan, Vedat Zar, and Recep Bakırtaş, moderated by Tuana Özdaş. The discussion will explore fire safety in hotels from the consumer's perspective, focusing on essential precautions for safe accommodation and relevant legal regulations. Experts will provide insights into consumer rights and hotel compliance with fire safety standards. ### **AGENDA & TOPICS** - **Consumer Rights** - **Key Questions to Ask When Booking Accommodation** - **Current Situation and Challenges** - **Best Practices in Hotels** ### **SPEAKERS** #### **Who is Ahmet Sertkan?** Born in 1960 in Gömeç, Balıkesir, Ahmet Sertkan served as a lecturer at Derince Non-Commissioned Officer Vocational School. He voluntarily retired in 2003 and began working as the Fire Chief at Çerkezköy Organized Industrial Zone (ÇOSB). He played a key role in obtaining Turkey’s first ISO 9001 Quality Certificate for a fire department. In 2009, he resigned and joined Ford Otosan A.Ş., serving as the Emergency Coordination Team Leader at the Gölcük Factory and Sancaktepe R&D Center until 2021. He lectured on emergency organization, advanced fire fighting, and explosion protection at Yeni Yüzyıl and Esenyurt Universities. Sertkan has been a member of the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) mirror committee for 13 years and serves on the Scientific Committee of the Fire Protection Association of Turkey (TÜYAK). Additionally, he is a Fire and Explosion Committee member at the Risk Management Association. Through a social responsibility project, he has provided fire awareness training to over 15,000 primary school students. He retired from Ford Otosan in January 2021 to focus on consultancy and currently serves as the Founder and Fire Consultant at YKS Technical Engineering and Fire Consultancy. #### **Who is Recep Bakırtaş?** Recep Bakırtaş is a mechanical engineer and the Chairman of the Product Safety and Consumer Rights Commission at the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers (MMO). He has extensive experience in Market Surveillance and Inspection (P&G) at the Ministry of Science, Industry, and Technology, specializing in consumer rights, product safety, compliance with TSE and standards, warranty certificates, after-sales services, and authorized service inspections. Appointed by the Ministry of Justice as an expert in trademark and patent matters, he has participated in EU Market Surveillance projects related to elevator, LPG, fire, and machine safety. Bakırtaş has played an active role in projects aimed at consumer protection and the creation of a safe product market. Additionally, he has overseen the establishment and auditing of companies and cooperatives, serving as a government commissioner at general assemblies. #### **Who is Vedat Zar?** Born in 1987 in Kadıköy, Vedat Zar achieved top national rankings in Turkey’s education system and graduated with honors from Kocaeli Körfez Science High School. In addition to his Mechanical Engineering degree, he is pursuing three master's degrees in Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Studies. His thesis, **"Drama-Based OHS Training"**, has been widely recognized in national and international seminars. He has held roles as a Mechanical Installation Engineer, Technical Manager, and Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality (HSEQ) Manager at local and global companies such as GE, Saipem, Vontier, Yörsan, and Intec. As the Founding President of the International Institute of Health Safety and Environment (IIHSE), he continues to lead impactful initiatives in Turkey and worldwide.