New Rescue Equipment for Garda Volunteers Includes Inflatable Boat and Underwater Camera
A Gemini 750 inflatable boat, an autoscala, and a boat with a camera for underwater searches. The new equipment for the Volontari del Garda was presented at the Canottieri Salò headquarters. The authorities expressed their appreciation.
Comments from the authorities
The head of the «118», Paolo Marzollo («Having means that enable quick rescue operations is very helpful; when Limone was isolated due to the landslide, Gianfranco Rodella’s team organized the water transport service in less than five hours»), the Honorable Giuseppe Romele («As a regional councilor, I came to Salò for the laying of the cornerstone of the retirement home, now completed; as a parliamentarian, I am proud to inaugurate these search and rescue units, which are highly advanced from a technical standpoint»), the president of the Montane Community Park, Bruno Faustini, the head of the Garda Community, Giuseppe Mongiello («Together with the institutions, the Volunteers help ensure assistance in case of need, and provide the broadest security measures»), the mayor of Sirmione, Maurizio Ferrari («It’s encouraging to have technologically advanced equipment; I thank Rodella and his team for their presence in the lower lake»): all praised the activities carried out.
The Gemini 750 inflatable boat
The brand-new Gemini is produced by Ape Resina in Cantello, in the province of Varese. It measures seven and a half meters long, three meters wide, and has a 200-horsepower engine, capable of reaching one hundred kilometers per hour.
It can carry up to 16 people. Its uses include rescuing swimmers in difficulty, patrolling the coasts, or serving as a support vessel for divers.
The large deck allows for the transport of a stretcher. Two rails are used to secure racks and equipment. The bow locker houses the fire pump, which draws water from the lake. The tanks hold 520 liters of green gasoline. With a consumption of 35 liters per hour, the autonomy is approximately 15 hours.
The market price is around fifty million lira, but the Volunteers paid less. The Gemini will remain in the water in front of the Canottieri, which hosts it free of charge.
Boat with camera and autoscala
The boat with the camera, which has been operational for some months, has undergone modifications. It features a «search eye» capable of viewing up to 270 meters deep, equipped with two halogen lights and a grabber for grasping objects or bodies.
It can also be used for other activities, such as inspecting the pipes of Azienda speciale Garda Uno (to verify possible leaks) or aqueducts (to check, for example, if mollusks clog intake points).
Finally, the autoscala, the first of its kind in the entire basin. Only provincial fire command centers are equipped with it; local detachments do not have such equipment.
«We bought it from firefighters in Baarn, in the Netherlands – say Rodella and his team. – It was necessary to go through numerous tests to make it operational».
The ladder extends up to 25 meters. It will be used for cutting down trees, dangerous gutters, or falling tiles.
Volunteer Interventions
The range of interventions by the Volunteers is very broad: from traffic accidents to fires to lake rescues.
«Last October – recalls Emilio Comini, the entrepreneur who (together with some partners) acquired Cedrinca and, in Aosta Valley, Feletti – they arrived at Pont St. Martin fully autonomous. In 15 days, they helped the company, crippled by the flood, to reopen. I will never stop thanking them for their work».
