Saturday, May 30, 2009

Vigili del Fuoco

Vigili del Fuoco, Firefighters, LivornoThe “Vigili del Fuoco” are the italian equivalent of a Fire Department, organized on national level with local detachments. A large “caserma” (literally: barracks) hosts our Fire Brigade on the eastern outskirts of Livorno. Firefighters are now civilians but the term for their base has stuck from past times.Vigili del Fuoco, Firefighters, LivornoThe Port of Livorno has its own station of firefighters in the “Darsena Vecchia” (Old Harbor), just opposite the Four Moors.Vigili del Fuoco, Firefighters, LivornoIt is quite a common sight to spot one of the smaller boats patrolling the waters or checking out vessels refueling.Vigili del Fuoco, Firefighters, LivornoThe “Vigili del Fuoco” have their divers ready to plunge in the not so clean waters of the port, for any emergency situation.Vigili del Fuoco, Firefighters, LivornoOn the entrance of the Old Harbor fire station you can read their latin motto: “In audentia hilares”, literally “Merry in boldness”.
I had the idea for this post reading a very good piece on Tampa Daily Photo about an old (but kept as new) fireboat. None of these boats is as lovely as it, but I like most of them anyway.
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14 comments:

  1. jooMay 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM

    Good series, like them all!
    Wow, I miss the sea and ports.
    Have a nice weeknd:)

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  2. cieldequimperMay 30, 2009 at 11:26 AM

    They do a fantastic job everywhere. Great shots, have a wonderful weekend!

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  3. Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.comMay 30, 2009 at 5:17 PM

    what a good job they do. Great collage of photos.

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  4. UnknownMay 30, 2009 at 5:36 PM

    A very interesting post once again:-) Love the action of the first photo. Are their service often called for?

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  5. VPMay 30, 2009 at 7:20 PM

    @ m_m - The Coast Guard may do this, but not here: the only close foreign land is the French Corsica, Schengen Zone.

    @ Christopher - Nothing major in recent times.

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  6. TinsieMay 30, 2009 at 9:41 PM

    Great post! I love to see men in action ;-)

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  7. LowellMay 30, 2009 at 11:56 PM

    I like all these boats, too. And as I said in the Tampa post, these people are worth every dime...they are so important on the water and everywhere. I think too often firemen (and women) are unsung heroes!

    Your photos are exemplary, VP!

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  8. hennyMay 31, 2009 at 5:17 PM

    My question has been answered :).
    I never knew before about firefighters patrolling in waters.

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  9. Stefan JanssonJune 1, 2009 at 12:52 AM

    I know you like boats, so I will have to approve to all these great boat shots.

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  10. FrankJune 2, 2009 at 12:12 AM

    That is just great. Thanks for alerting me. Terrific shots.

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  11. stromsjoNovember 30, 2009 at 3:31 PM

    Unsung heroes, indeed. At least, the proximity to water should help make their job a bit easier.

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  12. VPNovember 30, 2009 at 8:44 PM

    @ Per - Ever seen a tanker ablaze? Check the post on Moby Prince...

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  13. stromsjoDecember 1, 2009 at 7:34 PM

    There's a debate here about enforcing stricter separation between risky transports and passenger routes. We like to think that risk is finally under control in this day and age. It's not. Not by a long shot.

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  14. VPDecember 1, 2009 at 8:09 PM

    @ Per - You could have the best rules but a silly or distract behavior from a single man can doom a ship or a plane. Unconfirmed, but somewhat believable, sources said that the people in charge of the Moby were watching a football game during what was a routine trip, slamming against a tanker.

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