Voluntary work

To become a civil protection volunteer, join one of the organizations included in the Central List or in the Territorial Lists available on our website and on the websites of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces. 

To find the most suitable organization to join, you can consider these aspects

The territorial scope of intervention (international, national, regional, municipal), 
the type of events for which it intervenes,
the eventual operational specialization of the organization (divers, dog handlers, AIB),  
the level of participation in institutional activities, the availability required of volunteers
the distance between the association's headquarters and your home.
Contact the organization you are interested in directly to request information on how to register and the possible limitations (e.g. the age requirement for registration).

For further information, check the section dedicated to the Voluntary work of our website.

To help with interventions in zones affected by disasters, it is necessary to be part of a voluntary organization already trained in intervention.

In these cases, in fact, the contribution of single individuals does not ease the rescue actions. If you already belong to an organization, ask your referent for instructions.

Otherwise, if you intend to offer help for the first time, you must first register to a Civil Protection voluntary organization included in the Central List or in the Territorial Lists.

The employer is required to grant paid leave (reimbursements will then be recognized pursuant to Article 39 of Legislative Decree 1/2018).

In fact, there are no restrictions on the performance of civil protection volunteer activities for a civil employee, except in the case of management activities of voluntary organizations (for example, you cannot hold management positions within the association where you decide to perform your voluntary activity).

To request reimbursement, fill out the Employer Reimbursement Request Form and send it to the entity that activated the organization within two years of the conclusion of the intervention, exercise or training activity in which your employee participated.

In the request, filled out on letterhead and signed by the owner or legal representative of the same, indicate the name of the employee, the days of employment, the event in which he participated, the tax code of the Company and how to credit the amounts due.

For further information you can visit the Refund Procedures section of our website.

To request reimbursement, fill out the Self-employed Person's Reimbursement Request Form and send it to your Region or to the Civil Protection Department, attaching the tax return for the year prior to the activity performed.

For more information, visit the Refund Procedures section of our website.

The vehicles of the Civil Protection Department are identified by plate number in the format DPC*A00000 in red, with an asterisk of the seal of the Italian Republic and increasing numbering starting from A00001.

If your report does not concern one of these vehicles, but a vehicle belonging to a voluntary organization or a municipal group of civil protection, submit the issue directly to the Municipality or Region of reference.

The management of the road network does not fall within the tasks of civil protection, but it is an exclusive competence of the Public Safety Authorities and of the subjects in charge.

In particular conditions, however, the civil protection organizations can support the Police Forces by carrying out activities of assistance and information to the population.

The use of volunteers is therefore allowed under the following conditions

• that the subject coordinating the activities is univocally identified (Local Police or other Police Force)
• that it is clearly established and shared with the volunteers employed that the activities to be carried out do not involve any replacement or substitution of functions (for example, the use of "traffic bollards" is prohibited)
• that the volunteers employed are informed of the tasks to be carried out and are organized and coordinated through actions planned by the competent Police Authority which remains, at all times, the contact person and responsible for the activities.

Reports of improper use of volunteers should be addressed to the municipality where the event was held.

For more information on how to involve civil protection volunteers in public events, you can consult the circular of the Head of the Department of Civil Protection of August 6, 2018.

If you believe that the tasks you have been assigned are not attributable to civil protection activities, forward the report to the National Secretariat of your organization or, if you are part of a municipal group, to the municipality and your region of origin.

For more information on the involvement of voluntary associations in the organization of events, see the circular of the Head of the Department of Civil Protection of August 6, 2018.

The Department of Civil Protection may grant contributions to voluntary organizations, registered in the National List, to upgrade equipment and means, improve technical preparation and train citizens.

The contributions are granted within the limits of the appropriations allocated for the purpose. Applications for the granting of contributions must be submitted by December 31 of each year, using the appropriate forms.