Italian Civil Protection and FS together to manage emergencies
Rome, 3 October 2018
Develop and optimize in complete synergy all activities of competence in the phases of emergency, prevention, and management of risks that concern the safety of the population and railway circulation.
These are the main strategic points of the five-year agreement renewal between the National Civil Protection and Italian FS. The agreement was signed today in Rome, at the headquarters of FS Italiane, by Angelo Borrelli, Head of the Civil Protection Department, and Gianfranco Battisti, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of FS Italiane.
The action plans for forecasting, prevention, management, and the overcoming of emergencies were defined, and updated based on the new Civil Protection regulatory framework on competencies. It focuses on three main areas: railway emergencies in which the involvement of the Civil Protection is required; events caused by natural and man-made risks that require the support of the FS Italiane Group; forecasting and prevention activities, periodic training exercises, training and communication campaigns to sensitize citizens on correct behaviours.
The agreement provides for the exchange of data on risks of natural origin, collaboration on risk prevention, alert procedures between the respective operational rooms, and the establishment of working groups with the aim of consolidating institutional collaboration, active for the last ten years, and to define intervention models and update their respective activities.
The agreement concerns the responsibilities of the main operating companies of the FS Italiane Group: Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Trenitalia, Mercitalia Logistics, and Busitalia Sita Nord, and is a reference for future agreements to be signed between FS Italiane and territorial offices of the National Civil Protection Service.
FS Italiane and the National Civil Protection Service boast a fruitful collaboration in the management of events and activities during the emergency phase. Together they have managed highly complex events such as Expo Milano 2015, Jubilee of Mercy 2016, several Alpine gatherings and participated in national and international Civil Protection exercises (Odescalchi 2016, Unitalisi 2017, Seismic 2017, and Neiflex 2018).
In addition, they have worked jointly on severe emergencies caused by bad weather and seismic events.
During the visit to the Operating Rooms of FS, the Head of Department Angelo Borrelli expressed satisfaction with the signing of the Convention that «offers the opportunity to enhance the response capacity of the Civil Protection Service with all its components to ensure the protection and safeguarding of life and common goods.»
«Civil Protection's support and knowledge - underlined Gianfranco Battisti - are essential to prevent and manage risks that may arise in our complex daily activities. Every day, in fact, 24 hours a day, about 9,000 trains circulate on our 16,700 km railway network and we operate throughout the Italian territory, no regions exempt, with our rail and road network. We are also ready to offer our help with people and vehicles, as has happened in the past, for the management of national emergencies of any kind.»
After the signing, the Department Head visited the Central Operating Rooms of RFI, Trenitalia, and the Situation Safety Room of the Group Corporate Protection, where every day the circulation of passenger and freight trains is managed, together with the supervision of infrastractures - over 25,000 exchanges, 1,255 kilometres of tunnels, 530 kilometres of bridges and viaducts - and the security of passengers in the stations and on board is guaranteed.