Rescuers teach mushroom pickers to avoid rubber boots

The Prefect of the Province of Varese, Salvatore Pasquariello, sent an official appeal to the heads of municipalities, mountain communities, school administrations and the regional health service ATS Insubria, calling for an awareness campaign against the backdrop of the increase in injuries and deaths in forest and mountain areas.

To inform the population, the authorities propose to distribute the leaflet "Sicuri a cercar funghi", prepared by the National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS). According to mountain rescuers, seventy percent of those who died while picking mushrooms were wearing ordinary rubber boots, which do not provide proper grip on the slopes, so the rules emphasize the mandatory use of mountain boots.

The guide also advises to study weather forecasts, choose bright clothes with long pants, lean on a stick for balance, and carry topographic maps or a navigator. Separately, rescuers urge to install the emergency call applications "112 Where are U" and "GeoResQ" on smartphones, and to hand over the collected mushrooms for free inspection to mycologist experts ATS Insubria.