The 17 firefighters graduated on Friday after five days of physical and actual training under the supervision of instructors Dan Stone and Stanley Torres, consultant for Guam airport.
Palau’s Bureau of Aviation Director Charles I. Obechang in an interview said that the 17 firefighters passed two kinds of training, the ARFF level II training and the airport operation training making them all certified firefighters II and certified ARFF airport operation personnel.
A simple graduation ceremony was held on Friday at the ARFF station. Minister Jackson Ngiraingas, Gerard Bautista, Airport Terminal Manager for Guam airport, Stanley Torres, Dan Stone and Director Obechang handed the certificates to the firefighters.
Director Obechang thanked the Guam airport and the Department of Interior for funding the training.
“Instead of sending these personnel to Guam for a training they sent instructors here to train our personnel,” Obechang said.
Bautista in a separate interview congratulated the firefighters and said Palau is now moving forward.
“We’re always here to help and train ARFF throughout the island to ensure that personnel will be certified base on national standard and we’ve seen the progress. We can now see best facilities and now we have best personnel,” Bautista said.
Minister Ngiraingas thanked the Department of Interior and the Guam airport for being instrumental in making the first ARFF training in Palau possible.
