The North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority has renewed its agreement with its third sector associations (Livorno Public Assistance Voluntary Rescue Service, the Livorno branch of the Italian Red Cross, Livorno Misericordia ambulance service, Montenero Misericordia and Antignano Misericordia ambulance service) for providing a permanent Emergency & Rescue (E&R) service facility to be located in the Darsena Toscana area throughout 2024.
The Convention had already been stipulated in October 2022, but only on an experimental basis. At the end of the trial period, in view of its success and the positive feedback from both workers and local institutions, it was implemented and further adapted to suit the port’s needs.
Under the agreement, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on working days (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at weekends) and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the week from mid-May to the end of September, an ambulance equipped with paramedics, reanimation, parameter detection and trauma equipment, as well as a defibrillator, will be stationed at the beginning of Darsena Toscana‘s west bank, also serving the east side with two senior rescuers from the voluntary associations taking part in the initiative.
“The renewal of this convention is a confirmation of the Port Network Authority’s commitment to supporting port accident and incident management,” said PNA managing director, Matteo Paroli. “Improving safety in this sector and having clear guarantees on measures to safeguard the welfare of port workers is the path we have to follow in order to have an increasingly efficient, sustainable port,” he added. “I am happy that our third sector Associations have exactly the same view on these issues.”
A total of 66 operations have been carried out since the port facility has been up and running. In two cases urgent hospitalization was required. Both workers fully recovered. Although the types of emergencies often differed, the majority were attributable to traumatic, cardiological/hypertension scenarios.
Translation by Giles Foster
