“Giuseppe Zamberletti” National Award

Today, Monday, January 26, the first edition of the Giuseppe Zamberletti National Award was presented at the Civil Protection Department headquarters in Rome, in honor of the founder of modern Italian civil protection.

Promoted by the Civil Protection Department, the award was established in a particularly significant year: 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Friuli earthquake, the dramatic event that, thanks to the vision and leadership of Giuseppe Zamberletti, led to the creation of the National Civil Protection Service.

Zamberletti understood earlier than most that civil protection could not be confined to emergency management or rely solely on rescue operations. It needed instead to be built on forecasting, prevention, coordination, and shared responsibility at every level, bringing together institutions, national and local administrations, the scientific community, and operational structures, with particular emphasis on volunteer engagement. This vision has helped make Italian civil protection a benchmark at the European level.

The award, divided into four sections—Institutions, Volunteering, Science and Technology, and Public Administration—recognized individuals, organizations, and projects that, over time, have successfully interpreted and brought this vision to life. A committee consisting of Department personnel, representatives from the academic and scientific communities, experts from operational structures, and leading figures in the civil protection system awarded five prizes.

In the Science and Technology section, the award went to Franco Barberi, one of the world's leading experts in the field of geophysical and volcanological sciences, who played a key role in integrating scientific knowledge and expertise into the decision-making and operational processes of Italian civil protection.  

In the Volunteering section, awards were given to Franca Rampi, a leading figure in the history of civil protection volunteering, starting in the years when the National Service was established, and the Forest Fire Volunteer Corps of Piedmont, an advanced example of integration and innovation in the forest firefighting system, for the project to deploy Italian teams in close collaboration with the Italian National Fire and Rescue Service in foreign territories, helping to strengthen the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

In the State Administration section, recognition is awarded to the Coordination Unit for Temporary Works of the Italian National Fire and Rescue Service, a key operational component of the National Civil Protection Service, for its work on the STOP (Technical Data Sheets for Temporary Works) related to post-earthquake safety measures—an instrument that is also internationally recognized and appreciated.

In the Institutions section, the award was presented to Rosa Anna Maria Repole, Mayor of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi, a prominent figure in her community since the aftermath of the devastating 1980 earthquake and a steadfast advocate for strengthening civil protection planning and culture at the local and municipal levels.

The ceremony was attended by Fabio Ciciliano, Head of the Civil Protection Department, with a video message from Nello Musumeci, Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, and the presence of many institutional figures, friends, and experts on the work of Giuseppe Zamberletti, as well as many key figures from the National Civil Protection Service.

This award is intended to remember and honour Giuseppe Zamberletti and to renew the commitment to a model of civil protection founded on partnership between institutions and citizens, awareness and knowledge of risk, and the capacity to work together. It is a legacy that lives on in the women and men who, with expertise and a spirit of service, work every day to protect communities and ensure their safety.