Naples — “In recent days, the intensification of technical volunteer initiatives in Bagnoli and in the area of Campi Flegrei, although motivated by laudable intentions, is generating serious critical issues. Architects, engineers, geologists and psychologists are operating without official coordination, exposing public safety to unacceptable risks and compromising the reliability of technical assessments”.
This is what Antonio Cerbone, treasurer of the Order of Architects of Naples and regional coordinator of the Car (Coordination of Regional Activities), says. “Emergencies – he explains – cannot be addressed with improvised and unregulated interventions.
Building inspections must follow codified procedures to avoid incorrect assessments, unjustified alarmism or, worse, underestimation of critical situations. The risk assessment and safety conditions are regulated by Legislative Decree 12 October 2023, no. 140, converted with amendments by Law 7 December 2023, no. 183.
Any initiative that does not fall within these parameters is irresponsible and must be stigmatized, not promoted and immediately stopped. In fact, this type of spontaneous activity creates critical issues".
Cerbone continues: “In particular, without systematic control over the training of the technicians involved, there is a risk of errors with potentially disastrous consequences. The absence of clear selection criteria exposes the risk of opportunism and professional interference. A disorganized and uncoordinated action generates confusion, nullifying the efforts of the Civil Protection and official structures.
The intervention of unauthorized subjects, instead of reassuring, amplifies the sense of insecurity among citizens. Emergency activities must be reserved only for professionals registered with professional orders and colleges (Architects, Engineers, Geologists, Surveyors, Industrial Experts, Agricultural Experts and Agronomists) all gathered in the National Technical Structure, and in any case always operating in coordination and synergy with the Civil Protection.
These organizations guarantee training and certified updating in the field of seismic and bradyseismic risk, in particular the technicians must be AeDES Habitability and Damage in Seismic Emergency qualified; they have official lists of qualified professionals, ensuring competent and responsible interventions; they operate according to standardized protocols, reducing the margin of error to a minimum; they offer insurance coverage and legal protection, essential elements in emergency contexts; they ensure coordination with the Civil Protection, avoiding waste of resources and contradictory interventions.
Technical volunteering is a valuable resource, but it must be rigorously regulated. The uncoordinated action of individual professionals or improvised groups not only compromises the safety of the population, but risks undermining the efforts of the responsible bodies. Only through scrupulous adherence to the regulations and unitary management will it be possible to guarantee effective interventions, protecting the community and enhancing the role of professional orders and the National Technical Structure”.
Article published on 27 February 2025 - 20:15
