Quickly responding to a disaster as a firefighter can be the difference between life and death. But what if the person you're responding to doesn't speak your language? What if they're from a completely different country?
For Fire Inspector Luca Giaretta, that's the scenario he faces every day.
Giaretta works for the United States Army Garrison Italy's Fire and Emergency Services Department here. He provides emergency services to Americans living and serving in the Vicenza military community. more
But Giaretta is an Italian. So every day he's dealing not just with the challenges and stresses of being a firefighter, he's also having to deal with a language and culture that are very different from his own. And he has to learn how to educate and inform people in that different culture about how to stay safe.
"I really like to work with Americans because this has given me the opportunity to enjoy different people with different experiences and cultures," Giaretta said. "This challenges your mind and working together with the right people can combine the best techniques of firefighting. I have made lifelong friends who have significantly added to my life."
Giaretta started out studying law at the University of Trento when he realized that wasn't his passion. He was required by Italian law to serve for at least one year in the military, so he decided to join as a firefighter, a career he has enjoyed ever since.
"I chose to stay in this career because of the sense of excitement and satisfaction when my team works together to save lives," he said. "Everything must be done quickly and correctly while your adrenaline is pumping and what you expect is never what you really find. Your mind must be prepared to react to changing situations at any moment."
For Giaretta's boss, USAG Italy Fire Chief Scott DeLay, working with the blended community has a lot of advantages, both professionally and educationally.
"As a team we are all learning a lot about the cultural differences in community fire protection, and how we apply those differences to meet the needs and expectations of our customers," DeLay said.
DeLay's first impression of Giaretta was that of a professional who strives hard to uphold the standards. "He has ensured my initial impressions have not changed. He is a hard worker and wonderful communicator."
DeLay points out that while only about one and a half percent of the people on base utilize his department's services in an emergency capacity, 100 percent of the community utilize their other services every day. His department assists in areas like plans review processes, facility pre-fire planning, community risk assessments and hazard abatement plans.
DeLay stressed that even though his team is usually recognized by the lights and sirens of their fire trucks, Giaretta and his team work hard in the background for the safety of soldiers, civilian and family members. "They really tie the cultural and humanistic pieces together for all of our safety," DeLay said.
Giaretta recently moved into the Fire Prevention office, where he had to learn fire and safety regulations for not just Italy and America; he also had to learn U.S. Army and European standards. Then after one year in his new job he was promoted to the leader of the office. Now he has to train everyone else to understand those regulations. He and his staff, Gianluca Zaffaina and Riccardo Zancan, oversee the safety of more than 400 buildings.
For other firefighters in the department, working with Giaretta is a great experience. Capt. Ron Grajeda arrived in Vicenza 10 months ago. In that time he said he's grown to know Giaretta fairly well.
"He is an easy person to get along with and you can tell he strives to do a good job. These attributes make working alongside him an enjoyable experience," Grajeda said.
One of the first incidents Grajeda and Giaretta worked on together was when a large propane tank had a leak. "My crew and I were requested to stand by to provide fire protection when a contractor discovered the leak and he was expected to fix it in a not so conventional manner."
Grajeda quickly halted the operation after speaking with the worker and contacted Giaretta for support. "He and his crew quickly responded and reinforced our decision to stop the operation."
Giaretta was instrumental in getting key people out to mitigate a potential emergency situation. "Together, with his familiarity of contacts and our ability to identify a safety violation, we prevented a potential disaster," Grajeda said.
Grajeda pointed out that Giaretta uses his experience working on the base to play a key role almost every day when dealing with problems that often seem to be recurring. "It's for these reasons that having an Italian workforce is important; they provide the necessary continuity to sustain the everyday mission," Grajeda said.
While there can be cultural differences between the American and Italian firefighters, Grajeda said both sides enjoy working together and continually strive to work past their differences. "Having people like Luca reduces the stress of that. At the end of the day I feel we both can benefit from each other. We all bring something to the table, and we need to learn from it, because together we can accomplish a lot."
For Giaretta, it's all about the mission. His only goal is to make sure the residents of the American installations around Vicenza remain safe.
"I look forward to positive communication with the people who oversee buildings to help them understand why we have inspections or drills, and how to keep their buildings and all occupants safe in emergency situations," Giaretta said. "Some things may seem unnecessary but in the rare event of crisis every small detail is crucial."
And whether those details are in Italian or English, or deal with European or military standards, the Vicenza military community all understand they're in safe hands with Luca Giaretta on the job.
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