Helicopter rescue & firefighting, now everyone is at risk

The message is not in code. Reserved, but explicit. The men of the Guardia di Finanza seized him along with a mountain of documents at the headquarters of Airgreen, one of the giants who, according to the Antitrust, divided up the fire contracts, starting from Sardinia. This time, however, there is no discussion of woods and fire. In their sights, the lords of flight have put none other than the state angels who have always been dedicated to saving lives and protecting everyday life. The subject of the wired missive expresses it without half words: firefighters. The owners of private helicopters, after having devised tenders and division of Regions in the fire fighting chessboard, are aiming straight at the health emergency: the helicopter rescue.

Fire brigade out

It is them, the men of 115, who, when you call them, always arrive with the speed of light to disturb the progress of the fire sign in the air medical rescue. For firefighters this is a significant nuisance. In summary, it is necessary to eliminate the firefighters from the air medical rescue. Who relaunches the message of Giampiero Pedone of Elitaliana is the patron of Airgreen, Mauro Airaudi, the owner of the company that has been managing the helicopter rescue in Sardinia since 2018. The content of the email of January 29, 2014 is as captivating as it is disruptive.

The "male" action

The words are a real declaration of war on the most loved body: "I would therefore be particularly happy to see a concretely" masculine "and united action of our companies, before the Fire Brigade takes hold, after Liguria and Sardinia , both in Abruzzo and in the Marches, of which I have reasonable certainty. Let's reflect on it, trusting in your interest, even having a good coffee ». It is not known what the fire lords meant by that "concretely male action", but certainly under fire there are the reliance on the fire brigade of the helicopter rescue service.

Sardinia in the viewfinder

Sardinia, they write it openly, is one of those Regions that, since 2002, had entrusted the service to the state emergency body. A real hindrance for millionaire contracts which, on the other hand, could end up in their hands. The most impressive antitrust investigation of recent years, that of the aerial fire cartel, has opened all kinds of cabinets to discover joints and agreements, combine and business. It was impossible for the investigators not to come across the contiguous helicopter rescue service. Same society, same men and same intrigues. However, the Antitrust does not go all the way on the matter of the air medical rescue. The cards available are not as obvious as those of the fire fighting. They file for lack of evidence.

Effects & weaves

The effects and the intertwining, however, risk overwhelming the award of the contract for the helicopter rescue service entrusted in July 2018 to Airgreen, one of the main protagonists of the fire cartel. The last of the sentences of the Council of State, just published two days ago, concerns the Airgreen. The highest court rejected the appeal of the company headed by Mauro Airaudi, that of the anti-fire brigade mail, confirming, without the possibility of appeal, the millionaire fine imposed on him by the Competition and Market Authority.

Four million fine

A very heavy sentence that imposed on Airgreen a fine of 4 million and 339 thousand euros, one of the most consistent among those imposed on the companies that governed the fire fighting contracts, starting from Sardinia. The accusation, confirmed by the administrative judges, is that of having participated in the fire cartel, together with six other companies, resulting in single bid tenders with discounts below the threshold of ridicule, as happened with the awarding of the land contract Sardinian where Airgreen & teammates offered "discounts" between 0.01 of the first offer and 0.49% of the last. The vulnus, even more relevant than the already very harsh pecuniary sanction, is, however, the device, confirmed by the Council of State, according to which Article 101 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union has been violated. In practice, the most serious of the violations in the field of procurement: a single, continuous and complex agreement.

Secret association

The Authority speaks explicitly of "clandestine and secret association". It is precisely that article 101 of the European Treaty, recalled by the Authority in its decision and confirmed by the Council of State, that calls into question all the assignments of Airgreen, starting with the contract won in Sardinia in 2018 for the health service of helicopter rescue. A norm that translated means: serious offense and very serious infringement.

Exclusion from competitions

A device that provides for the exclusion from tenders of operators who are guilty of serious offenses with respect to Article 80 of the Procurement Code. The consequence, according to the most authoritative interpretations, is not limited only to the contract covered by the Antitrust decision, but concerns one of the fundamental requirements of a company in order to participate, win and perform a public service: reliability. The indelible stain of that fire sign will necessarily end up on the desks in the legal area of the Region. In light of this last and umpteenth sentence of the Council of State, the regional contracting authorities, the Department of the Environment and Health, will have to open a double file: on the one hand, the revocation of the contract to Elitellina, owner as principal of the contract of the helicopter service for fire fighting, and condemned by the Antitrust and ultimately by the Council of State, and, then, the revocation of Airgreen for the assignment of the helicopter rescue service, given the sentence of the High Court just issued.

Earthquake in the skies

An earthquake in the skies, from the air fire to the health emergency-urgency. The paradox sees the Region between a rock and a hard place: the second classified, in order of offer for fire helicopters, is Airgreen, the same company that had won the helicopter rescue tender in 2018. A similar situation would occur with the tender for medical helicopters: if the contract to Airgreen were to be revoked, which had been awarded with a reduction of 12.43, the giant Babcock would have to take over which, however, in turn, was condemned for the same reasons by the Antitrust and the Council of State.

The showdown

The final match will be played, in all likelihood, with the awaited ruling of the Sardinian Tar on the last firefighting match. The judges could file it in days. The war is between Airgreen and the Spanish Elitellina. Anyone who wins could, however, be excluded, by “secret association”, both from the fire-fighting contract and from the helicopter rescue. Clouds on the horizon over the skies of Sardinia. Secrets and misdeeds still linger on high-altitude contracts.