Fire-fighting, 'Italia approves the use of non-polluting simulators

Working to ensure that Italian regulations also allow the use of fire-fighting simulators (which faithfully recreate fire emergency situations, but without using the real flame), so that those who have to deal with such a dangerous situation can be fully trained, with the advantage of being able to repeat it several times and without polluting. Given that 'a single average fire extinguisher that is emptied for a fire test without a simulator disperses about 6 kilos of CO2 into the environment, the equivalent of the emissions generated by 60 Fiat Panda Hybrids in a 1-kilometre journey'.

Launching the challenge is Emanuele Pitto, CEO of Scenario, a small Genoese company (8 employees and a turnover of 4.2 million a year), highly specialised, however, in a niche sector: in the development and integration of advanced simulation systems for design, training, safety and operational management, in various industrial sectors.

The company designs customised solutions that find application in different sectors: maritime, port, aerosport, logistics and specialised vehicle handling. "The simulators," says Pitto, "make it possible to reproduce complex operating environments and critical situations, such as naval manoeuvres, port operations, cargo handling or emergency scenarios, allowing operators to gain practical experience in realistic but safe conditions.

To date, he continues, 'we count about a hundred simulator installations. Our customers are nautical institutes, ports, airports, training centres, and facilities dedicated to the training of institutional bodies". Among the collaborations with important training realities are those with the Nautical Academy of the Adriatic in Trieste, the Vendramin Corner Technological Pole in Venice, the Caboto Foundation in Gaeta, and the Its Mare in Sorrento. And among the companies Scenario regularly works with are Mevea (Finland), Lilaas (Norway) and Wärtsilä (Finland).

The Genoese company has also developed its own professional training activity through its own academy that offers courses aimed at security professionals, fire-fighting operators, technicians and industrial operators, and personnel involved in emergency management. "The training programmes," says Pitto, "integrate digital simulation, realistic scenarios and practical activities, allowing participants to acquire operational skills in a controlled but highly immersive context. Through this framework, he adds, "we have certified around 400 trainers".