The LATAM PCI concept was born in 2018 by the hand of AMRACI, ABSPk and ANRACI Colombia and with the support of Bruce LaRue and Russ Flaming through the International Fire Suppression Alliance (IFSA), who sponsored the participation of authorities with jurisdiction in Latin America to attend the Expo Fire Protection International Congress, held in Mexico City, organized by AMRACI / CONAPCI, where the first discussions about the advantages of working together to benefit the security of the region.
From that moment on, they began virtual meetings to find points of agreement, meeting in person in 2019 at the NFPA Expo in San Antonio, Texas, where we agreed on the idea of the importance of thinking globally in the region and breaking with all paradigms to begin writing a new story.
Meeting in Mexico City, it was decided to have a board of directors and begin to build the statutes and continue working. In 2020 and 2021, executive meetings were held and monthly conference calls were held with key actors involved in fire safety from the following countries: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Uruguay and Chile.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, meetings were held virtually with the participation of organizations from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, promoting and sharing experiences on the future of our industry, highlighting the importance of having fire safety regulations, building and fire codes, technical standards and providing training to fire protection professionals before more than 12 thousand attendees in three events, demonstrating the great convening and influence that can be achieved through collaboration.
1. ARGENTINA
a. Argentine Chamber of Fire Protection (CEMERA)2. BRAZIL
to. Brazilian Association of Automatic Sprinklers (ABSpk) b. Brazilian Passive Protection Association (ABPP) c. Sprinkler Brazil Institute (ISB)3. CHILE
a. National Fire Protection Association (ANAPCI)4. COLOMBIA
a. National Association of Automatic Fire Sprinklers of Colombia (ANRACI)5. COSTA RICA
a. University of Costa Rica (UCR)6. ECUADOR
a. College of Mechanical Engineers of Pichincha (CIMEPI)7. GUATEMALA
a. Central Fire Station of Municipal Fire Department of Guatemala8. MEXICO
a. Mexican Association of Automatic Fire Sprinklers (AMRACI) b. National Fire Protection Council (CONAPCI) c. Mexican American University of the North, AC (UMAN)9. PANAMA
a. Panamanian Fire Protection Association (APPCI)10. PARAGUAY
a. Paraguayan Chamber of Industrial and Related Safety (CAPASI) b. Volunteer Fire Department of Paraguay (CBVP)11. PERU
a. National Fire Protection Society (SNPCI)12. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
a. Dominican Association of Fire Protection Companies (ADEPCI)USA
to. International Fire Suppression Alliance (IFSA)
This regional cooperation is supported by organizations such as the International Fire Suppression Alliance (IFSA), Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), American Fire Alarm Association (AFAA), American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), Canadian Fire Alarm Association (CFAA), FireStop Contractor International Association (NFCA), FM Global, VDS and UL.
The network seeks to generate strategies through sharing successful experiences between different organizations, which allow laying the foundations for generating arguments and statistics that offer the various authorities an analysis of the impacts caused by not having regulations on the matter; promote education for users about the benefits of having a well-designed, installed and maintained protection system to guarantee the safety of their employees and the continuity of their businesses, through the hiring of certified specialists; as well as promoting continuous professional development, among other actions.
… united against fire