On Thursday 24 March, the closing ceremony and presentation of certificates took place in the presence of the Provincial Commissioner of the Italian Red Cross (CRI). “At a time in history characterised by increasingly limited financial resources – said Lieutenant Colonel Francesco De Simone, Commander of the 1st GRS – ”collaboration with authoritative bodies such as the Italian Red Cross is an essential tool for ensuring the exchange of experience within our respective areas of expertise, pooling resources and capabilities“.” The course, which concluded on Thursday 24 March with a certificate presentation ceremony led by Stefano Cavagliani, Commissioner of the Novara Provincial Committee of the Italian Red Cross (CRI), served to consolidate a training programme that had already been underway for two years through asimilar initiative aimed at training military and civilian personnel at the Cameri Air Force Base in emergency management, as required by Legislative Decree No. 81 of 2008 on “Health and Safety in the Workplace‘, through a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Airport Command and the Piedmont Regional Committee for the delivery of joint training courses aimed at developing technical and operational activities. ’In reality, this course went far beyond that,” added Cavagliani, “because the Italian Red Cross instructors focused primarily on the so-called ‘culture’ of first aid, based on the premise that anyone, through no fault of their own, might find themselves unexpectedly having to deal with a medical emergency, and knowing what to do – and, above all, what not to do – can help save a life.” Structured into eight modules totalling 20 hours of lessons and thematic briefings, the course comprised a theoretical/informative section on the organisation and activities of the Italian Red Cross (CRI) and on International Humanitarian Law, and a theoretical/practical section designed to enableparticipants to acquire the ability to assess the urgency and severity of an injured person’s condition, and to carry out the necessary procedures to provide basic life support to the casualty, thereby reducing the risk to their life whilst awaiting the arrival of the 118 emergency medical services. Before proceeding with the presentation of the certificates, Lieutenant Colonel De Simone outlined the activities of the 1st GRS and, subsequently, to mark the collaboration with the Italian Red Cross, he presented the Unit’s crest to Commissioner Cavagliani, who, as a memento of the visit, signed the Roll of Honour. The 1st GRS forms part of the Support Services system of the Logistics Command, reporting directly to the Technical Supply Centre in Fiumicino, with responsibilities for the receipt, dispatch, distribution and customs clearance of material arriving from abroad and of military programmes also acquired overseas. Since the 1990s, representatives from the British Royal Air Force, the German Luftwaffe and the Spanish Ejército del Aire have been operating at the unit, following the introduction of the Tornado weapon system and the launch of the Eurofighter programme.
