Search-and-rescue volunteers from around the globe 鈥� including the Semiahmoo Peninsula 鈥� flocked to Turkey and Syria this month, following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake Feb. 6 that toppled countless buildings and killed tens of thousands.

Returning from a week on the ground in Adiyaman, Turkey, Norm MacLeod said the scene was one of sheer devastation.

鈥淲e drove block after block after block, and in every direction, these large six-, seven-storey buildings were either completely demolished or tilted over,鈥� MacLeod said Friday (Feb. 17), from his post at White Rock fire hall, where he has been deputy chief for the past three years.

Witnessing it firsthand and being part of rescue and recovery efforts is 鈥渟omething that most of us will never experience,鈥� the South Surrey resident continued.

鈥淭o be there in a world-impacting event is certainly an experience that I won鈥檛 forget.鈥�

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MacLeod, 59, was part of a 10-person Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue team that deployed to the southeastern city of Adiyaman on the afternoon of Feb. 7, after reaching out to the Turkish consulate in Vancouver in the wake of the quake to offer support.

Within hours of being 鈥渂oots on the ground,鈥� the team proved its worth, assisting a Mexican dog team and a team of Turkish miners in finding and rescuing a woman who had been trapped in a collapsed building since the quake struck.

The BUSAR team鈥檚 equipment 鈥渉elped to confirm that there was a person in need of assistance,鈥� MacLeod said.

While extracting the woman took five to six hours, 鈥淚 understand she鈥檚 doing well and on the mend.鈥�

The story was among the positives that kept the team鈥檚 morale up and momentum going through the week, MacLeod said.

But it did not, by far, outweigh the negatives.

鈥淯nfortunately not,鈥� MacLeod said. 鈥淎s we were working, we were also doing recovery and working in areas where people were not so fortunate to get out alive.鈥�

While there was no time to dwell on that reality during the search efforts 鈥� 鈥渨e were pretty much on the go right around the clock鈥� 鈥� MacLeod said the team does strategize to help each other 鈥渞ecover from that exposure.鈥�

鈥淚 think while we鈥檙e working, we鈥檙e really focused on the job and we don鈥檛 have a lot of time to let things really sink in,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut after, in the calm, we reflect, we talk about it鈥� really look at how that impact can affect us as firefighters.

鈥淚鈥檓 doing well,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚 felt that we had a good, solid, successful mission and we were able to meet a lot of objectives that we鈥檇 set for the team. We were very grateful to be able to be there to help the Turkish people in their time of need.鈥�

Part of MacLeod鈥檚 own diffusing process, he said, involves spending time with his wife, Stacey, and his dog, Scribbles once home.

The 11-year-old chocolate lab accompanied MacLeod when the BUSAR team travelled to Nepal in 2015, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the landlocked South Asian country, claiming the lives of an estimated 9,000 people and injuring many more. Due to her age now, however, she was not able to join the mission to Turkey.

The death toll in Turkey and Syria, as of Tuesday (Feb. 21) had reportedly surpassed 47,000. Compounded by additional quakes that struck Feb. 20, it continues to climb.

The disaster is a good reminder to be prepared for emergencies locally, MacLeod agreed. According to , everyone should plan to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours, with an organized and easy-to-locate kit.

In a disaster of the magnitude seen in Turkey and Syria, 72 hours鈥� worth of supplies 鈥渨ould be just scratching the surface,鈥� MacLeod noted.

鈥淗aving enough food and water and prescription medicine available is really, really important, and going to an area like this that was so devastating, you can really see how important that would be.鈥�

MacLeod said he 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� wouldn鈥檛 hesitate to respond to future events. As heartbreaking as they can be, they also unite people from around the globe with the common goal of helping others, while providing insight to just how strong people impacted by such events can be.

鈥淚 have immense respect for the people of Turkey and their resiliency in being able to work through this crisis, this disaster, and continue to keep their spirits up, their strength,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing.鈥�

Fundraising to aid in the disaster efforts is ongoing. For more information, visit . To support BUSAR鈥檚 efforts, donations may be made at