Their intervention saved a man who, in desperation, wanted to take his own life by setting fire to his house full of gas cylinders and avoided disastrous consequences for the city of Salemi. The Administration and the municipal council of the town of Trapani have thus decided to thank the women and men of the municipal police, the carabinieri and the firefighters who intervened on 20 December 2023, giving them a solemn commendation “for their self-sacrifice and spirit of service demonstrated in the circumstance to protect the entire community”.
Seven commendations
Seven commendations were awarded during a ceremony held in the premises of the Norman-Swabian castle of Salemi. The awards went to the municipal police inspectors Paoletta Petralia (Commander pro tempore) and Peter Leo Cardillo, to the selected Carabinieri officer Alessandro Geraci, to the Carabinieri Marshal Enzo Lo Sciuto, to the Major Marshal Aniello Camardella, Commander of the Carabinieri Station of Salemi, to the Salemi volunteer fire brigade detachment and to the Trapani provincial fire brigade command.
“Due recognition for those who have demonstrated a very high level of professionalism – is the thought of the Administration and the municipal council of Salemi -. We are grateful to the work of the women and men of the municipal police, the carabinieri, as well as other law enforcement agencies, and the firefighters who, with their daily commitment, guarantee safety for our community”.
Convinces recipient TSO to be hospitalized, commendation for rescuer Seus
“One of the greatest satisfactions of my 30 years of service on the 118 ambulances”: Fabio Pulvirenti, a Seus rescuer, summarizes the intervention which earned him praise from President Riccardo Castro. After a long and delicate dialogue he managed, in fact, to convince a patient who was the recipient of compulsory health treatment to be transported to hospital voluntarily. “It was a more unique than rare event, in fact interventions of this type almost always end with TSO via sedation”, underlines Pulvirenti.
It all began a few days ago in Zafferana Etnea, when the 118 station was alerted by the Operations Center to go to Aci Sant’Antonio for mandatory health treatment for a woman. On board the ambulance were Fabio Pulvirenti and his colleague Giovanni Caltabiano.
“At the scene of the intervention there were the police and the health personnel of the ASP – says Pulvirenti -. The woman did not want to go to hospital and returned to the house without any intention of leaving. I therefore asked and obtained the opportunity to try to convince her personally without resorting to the TSO. She was very nervous, I tried to make her understand that we were there to help her. I had her tell me a little about her life and she gradually calmed down. After a long conversation she trusted her, convincing herself to leave the house calmly and without being forced to get into the ambulance. Finally we went to the Giarre hospital where the doctors of the psychiatry department took her into care.”
