Ryan Gray, who works in the Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, volunteers with a group he set up called ‘K9 Search and Rescue NI’.
He will be travelling out along with a colleague, taking their working Labradors Max and Delta.
Their primary role will be to search for people still alive in the rubble.
He said that they were determined to do all they can and is optimistic there could still be survivors.
Ryan said: “We don’t know the scale of the devastation we will face upon arrival – the television pictures are only able to show a part of it.
“But this is what we have trained for. This is what we do and we’re going out to do our best to make a difference in this dreadful situation.
“The dogs we are taking are classed as urban search and rescue and specialise in detecting people in collapsed buildings.”
He added: “Once we get there, we will get straight to work alongside search and rescue colleagues both from Turkey and further afield. We know time is of the essence and we know that as every minute passes, it can mean the difference between life and death.”
