Sigonella chosen to test the operational readiness of the Military Red Cross
More than 40 CRI military personnel, including active duty and temporarily called up personnel, with the support of Volunteer Nurses stationed in Sicily, carried out an intensive training program, comprising classroom lectures and field training activities, necessary to instruct all selected personnel on the proper use of all assigned equipment.
This program is part of a broader project managed by the CRI National Military Corps Inspectorate aimed at deploying a total of seven Health Units throughout the entire Italian territory to ensure the immediate response of the Corps to the various emergencies, public disasters, or requests for assistance in providing specialized medical equipment by the Armed Forces.
During the training program, a field training activity was planned consisting of the deployment of the assets of the 6th Medical Unit, and the exercise simulated a major incident that involved the arrival and treatment of 15 patients at the aforementioned Unit from various color codes provided by the protocols in use in NATO, as stipulated by the protocol. Major Incident Medical Management and Support (MIMMS).
The course, taught by instructors from the National Inspectorate of the Corps and Rapid Deployment Units of Rome and Bari, was inaugurated by the Commander of the XII Military Mobilization Center, Colonel Antonino Buttafuoco. The final stages of the training exercise took place in the presence of the National Inspector of the CRI Military Corps, Major General Gabriele Lupini, who at the end of the activity wished to thank the Commander of the 41st Squadron, Colonel Pilot Vincenzo Sicuso, for the hospitality provided, who, for his part, expressed his pride in having hosted such an important public service activity on the base. He added that future and similar forms of collaboration will always be welcomed because they constitute an indispensable moment of aggregation and professional growth for all the personnel involved.
At the final part of the exercise, the local leadership also took part. Naval Air Station (NAS) of the United States Navy, whose presence has once again confirmed the relationships of mutual collaboration between the Italian and American communities of Sigonella, always ready and in symbiosis to respond to any emergency. The impetus of the local authorities of the host country is fundamental in order to optimize the relations between the two national components, which, while fully respecting each other’s sovereignty, operate at their best, relying on excellent levels of cooperation both in the airport context and in relations with the local community at various organizational and institutional levels.
The mission of the 41st Air Wing consists of countering the underwater and naval threat and providing long-range search and rescue service at sea to protect the main maritime routes in order to keep potentially hostile underwater and surface naval units under control. These activities are complemented by the control of commercial traffic in the Mediterranean, as part of the “post-September 11” operations against international terrorism, and support for activities aimed at controlling migratory flows from the southern quadrants of the Mediterranean, guaranteeing daily support – with the help of the Breguet 1150 aircraft –“Atlantic”As a complement – the coverage of the vast areas of interest and allowing the timely location of refugees at sea, the alert of the relevant authorities and at the same time ensuring a constant and immediate response by S.A.R., in the event of a maritime accident and the shipwreck of those involved.”.
