LECCE – A sit-in in front of the Prefecture to demonstrate the great discomfort and unease of all the operational personnel of the Fire Brigade of the Lecce Command. The protest is by the trade unions Co.Na.Po. Sindacato Autonomo VVF, CGIL Funzione Pubblica and Confsal VVF; in the spotlight the dramatic situation related to the lack of personnel and rescue vehicles, also with the aim of making citizens aware of the critical issues with which the VVF personnel find themselves facing the usual summer “fire emergency”.
Co.Na. Po. CGIL and Confsal recognize the commitment and dedication of the Commander, the engineer Roberta Lala, who in all locations documented the psychophysical stress of the operational staff together with the lack of emergency vehicles. However, the men and women of the Lecce Command, today free from duty and many of them even after a 12-hour work shift that began yesterday evening at 8pm and ended this morning at 8am, wanted with their presence once again make the citizens of Salento aware of the emergency situation which is now close to collapse.
The Prefect Luca Rotondi received representation listening to the problems brought by the trade unions. of the Fire Brigade. The firefighters, for their part, exposed the critical issues linked to the AlB campaign and the increase and complexity of interventions linked to the notable influx of tourists. As mentioned, the risk of closing at least one Fire Brigade headquarters in the province due to the shortage of personnel and emergency vehicles and the risk not only of not being able to ensure fire safety personnel on the occasion of public entertainment events, but also of seeing requests for intervention for which assistance cannot be guaranteed have increased. In this regard, the Prefect assured his commitment to supporting the temporary assignment of 60 operational units, in addition to the request to retain the 15 CS2023 trainees until the end of the AlB campaign.
The real risk for Fire Brigade Operators linked to the absolute lack of psychophysical recovery in a period, the summer one, in which the difficulties of high seasonal temperatures are added to the high temperatures contingent on fires, has been highlighted.
In closing, the Prefect confirmed the intention to proceed with a public notice of expression of interest regarding the new Central Fire Brigade Headquarters of the Command and to find a lot on which to build the headquarters.
