Castiglione Fire Station: Dedicated Team, Equipment, and Training Overview
An average of 700 interventions per year, within a 25-kilometer radius, covering three provinces. It was a poorly maintained depot of the Comune, the Castiglione fire station until 1987, when bulldozers and shovels transformed it into the current barracks, which now serves as an indispensable point of reference for 37 municipalities.
Twenty permanent firefighters, 12 squad leaders, a section chief, and another day-shift firefighter. Four 12-hour shifts: six personnel plus auxiliary staff, that is, conscripts who handle secondary rescue activities. A detachment entirely dependent on the provincial command of Mantova, (to which they are always connected via radio), overseen by officer Marcello Botti.
The Vehicles and Training
The equipment includes: a fire truck, a pump tanker, a rescue van, a Land Rover, an Alfa 33, an autoscala (telescopic ladder truck). Additionally, a maneuvering castle that simulates a house facade for training purposes. An expanding barracks, with a busy atmosphere, jokingly says: “What’s still missing? Some rooms at the back, the fence, landscaping, the gym, and most importantly, reinforcements. We are still few. But that’s a problem all over Italy.”
“Continuous training and updates are essential,” explains Botti. “In the department, we frequently conduct guided tours: materials and equipment change constantly, and it’s crucial to know them to know how to intervene.” There are also videocassettes with footage of their interventions.
Memories and Unusual Requests
Which incidents are most memorable? “All of them. We remember every one of them.” Many are tragic: fires and injured victims stuck in wrecked metal. And sometimes, funny moments: everyone recalls the time they were called to free a duck trapped in the frozen pond.
“They told us there was a swan in trouble, but when we arrived, we found a duck sitting with its butt frozen in the ice. They threw stones to try to move it, but it wouldn’t budge. We managed to free it.” The strangest request? “A woman wanted us to water the road in front of her house because it was dusty…”
