Fort Buchanan firefighter shares professional expertise during training exchange in Panama
The exchange was not an official Army training mission. Rivera participated in his personal capacity, drawing on professional qualifications and experience developed during 18 years with the Fort Buchanan Fire Department.
The initiative began after Panama Canal firefighters sought qualified instructors to strengthen their professional accreditation program. Rivera said the organization wanted to reconnect with U.S.-recognized certification standards similar to those familiar to Canal firefighters during the long-standing U.S. presence in the former Canal Zone.
“I have been able to provide the instruction,” Rivera said.
Rivera’s qualifications as a fire officer, fire instructor and fire inspector allow him to provide instruction at lower certification levels. During the exchange, he shared professional knowledge and discussed National Fire Protection Association standards and practices familiar to him through his career as an Army firefighter.
Language also proved important. Rivera said many professional accreditation courses and technical materials are primarily available in English, creating challenges for some firefighters in Latin America.
“We’re speaking the same language,” Rivera said, explaining that instruction in Spanish, the dominant language in the hemisphere, combined with common professional standards and terminology, provided a shared foundation for the exchange.
Rivera has previously shared professional knowledge with firefighters in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. His experiences demonstrate how the bilingual workforce, professional expertise and regional familiarity found at Fort Buchanan, the Army’s home in the Caribbean, can help build relationships with counterparts across the Western Hemisphere.
People-to-people stories such as Rivera’s also showcase the connections between Puerto Rico and Panama. Shared language, professional experiences and personal relationships provide a foundation for engagement that extends beyond institutions and highlights how expertise developed at Fort Buchanan can connect with communities and professionals across the region.
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