St. John Rescue Corps

Offices and Appointments

Patron St John Ambulance
His Excellency Dr George Abela
President of the Republic of Malta

Commander, St. John Ambulance Malta G.C.

Brigadier Carmel Vassallo,

CStJ RCDS AFM

Corps Headquarters Staff

Commissioner (Rescue) and Corps Commander

Captain the Chevalier Reuben Lanfranco,

OStJ OLJ KJ BA (Crim) MJur (Int Law) LLM (IMLI)

MIFireE MCILT AFRIN FNI MIM AFM (Retd) StJRC

Corps Second-in-Command

Staff Officer Grade II Andrew Grech, SBStJ BSc StJRC

Staff Officer, Logistics (SO Logs)

Staff Officer Grade III Carmel Sciberras, OStJ StJRC

Corporal Anthony Buhagiar

Staff Officer, Records, Finance and Procurement (SO RFP)

Staff Officer Grade III Andrew Pizzuto, SBStJ DipCII StJRC

Staff Officer, Training & Development (SO Trg)

Staff Officer Grade II Andrew Grech, SBStJ BSc StJRC

Staff Officer Grade V Gordon Hili, StJRC

Staff Officer Grade VI Godfrey Sammut, StJRC

Staff Officer, Mechanical Transport & Technical (SO MT & T)

Staff Officer Grade III Christopher Borg Cardona, SBStJ StJRC

Staff Officer Grade VI Josef Borg, StJRC

Staff Officer Operational Planning (SO Ops)

Staff Officer Grade III Christopher Borg Cardona, SBStJ StJRC

Corps Chaplain

Fr. Colin Apap, StJRC

Staff Officer, Press and Public Relations (SO PR)

Position currently vacant

Staff Officer, Fort Commandant (SO FC)

Staff Officer Grade VI Alexis Inguanez, BE&A A&CE StJRC

Corps Sergeant Major

CSM Martin A. Borg

Commander's Aide de Camps (ADC)

Rescue Volunteer James Cilia B.Ed. (Hons.) M.Ed

Active Divisions

Bravo Division

Divisional Officer Adrian Caruana, StJRC

Sergeant Joseph Cachia

Charlie Division

Divisional Officer Ivan Azzopardi, StJRC

Sergeant Christopher Bonnici

Delta Division

Divisional Officer Jonathan Azzopardi, StJRC

Corporal Simon Debattista

Honorary Appointments

President St John Rescue Corps
Major-General Michael J H Walsh CB DSO DL KStJ

Vice President St John Rescue Corps
Anthony The Marquis Buttigieg De Piro,

KStJ GCLJ (J) KMLJ FInstD MIM

Reserve Division Presidents

Professor Dr Walter G Rödel
Knight Commander of Justice of the Johanniterorden

Jürgen Franz Esq
Director of Civil Defence of the City of Mainz

Honorary Officers

Raymond Bugeja OStJ FCCA MSI FIoD

His Excellency Alfredo Escudero y Díaz-Madroñero, Marquis of Gori

Duncan P J Stafford Esq (St. John Ambulance)

Jane, Mrs Duncan P J Stafford (St. John Ambulance)

Carmel Vella Brincat Esq

Mr Tony McGuirk QFSM (CFO - Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Mr Bill Evans (ACFO - Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Mr Paul Gibson (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Mr John McDonough (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Mr Tom Sefton MBE (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Capt. DM Salvatore Olivari de la Moneda

The Noble Pier Felice degli Uberti, Count of Cavaglià

His Excellency. Dr. D. Alfonso de Ceballos-Escalera y Gila, Marqués de la Floresta

In 1986, Anthony The Marquis Buttigieg De Piro KStJ GCLJ (J) KMLJ FInstD MIM, was asked by the late Commander St John Ambulance Malta GC Edwin H W Borg KStJ to raise a Corps of rescue volunteers, which would be part of St John Ambulance, but separate from the St John Ambulance Brigade (First Aid and Nursing).

Commander Borg’s request to raise a Rescue Corps under the banner of St John was in order to meet the need in Malta of a support civil defence unit consisting of adult volunteers fully trained in rescue and first aid.

The first rescue courses organised for the new volunteer recruits of the newly-formed St John Rescue Corps – Malta GC, were carried out by the Corps Commander Marquis Buttigieg De Piro who was ably assisted by rescue instructors of the Armed Forces of Malta who were loaned to him by the Commander of the Armed Forces at the time, Brigadier Claude M Gaffiero KStJ, without whose clear thinking and support the Rescue Corps might have never taken off.

After five months, the Rescue Corps officers and their subordinate leaders were running the rescue courses very professionally and efficiently, to their own divisions and new recruits. Without exception, all the Commanders of the Armed Forces of Malta always co-operated with, supported and helped the St John Rescue Corps, whenever they could.

Together with the St John Ambulance Association’s Training Branch and the Ambulance Brigade (First Aid and Nursing), the Rescue Corps forms part of the St John Ambulance Malta GC and operates under the auspices of the Order of St John, of which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Sovereign Head.