Ragusa Launches Heart-Safety Project as San Giacomo Prepares First Defibrillator Briefing

The first defibrillator installed under Ragusa's municipal "Contrade Cardioprotette" programme is now in place at the Parrocchia Beata Maria Vergine di Lourdes in San Giacomo, a frazione of the Sicilian city, and the comune has called a public meeting to explain it. The briefing is scheduled for Saturday 10 October 2026 at 9.00 at the parish theatre, Beata Maria Vergine di Lourdes, and is open to the whole citizenry.

Qualified personnel will demonstrate how the semiautomatic external defibrillator (DAE) works and set out what those present should do in the opening minutes of a cardiac arrest or another emergency, before rescuers arrive. Ragusa's municipal Protezione Civile is taking part in the initiative. The programme's stated design pairs each device with information work aimed at residents, rather than treating installation as an end in itself.

Andrea Distefano, the assessor for contrade and frazioni, said the installation of the first DAE was "a first concrete step", adding that the "Contrade Cardioprotette" project "cannot and must not stop at the mere presence of a defibrillator". San Giacomo is described as the first stage, and the stated aim is progressive extension to other contrade, for which no timetable is given. Giovanni Iacono, assessor for health and civil protection, cast the meeting as an occasion for awareness and participation, saying that informing citizens and bringing them closer to the correct conduct in emergencies "… means contributing to building a more prepared and safer community".

Coverage datelined Ragusa places the announcement between 2 and 3 October 2026, eight days before the event. The next factual milestone to watch is the San Giacomo meeting itself on 10 October; the sources set out no further dates for additional installations or training sessions.