By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Late yesterday afternoon just before dark I was driving home from work. It was raining, and as I reached the end of D Street in El Cangrejo, I noticed some trucks from the power company, and a lineman working up on the top of a ladder that was leaning against a cement utility pole. He had some sort of an apparatus in his hand to extend his reach. I didn't know what he was working on, but when I saw that guy up there working in those conditions, I said a quick little prayer for his safety.

I thought about the million (plus) people who are still without power in the Northeast of the United States after "Super Storm Sandy" last week. I wondered how much money a lineman makes in Panama, to take those risks. Not only was it raining, the guy was working in what looked like a bowl of spaghetti - the lines hanging in Panama are notoriously third-world style. And just as all of those thoughts were going though my head, this happened...

Holy F*ck! The line shorted out for just a half second, right where the guy was touching something with the extended reach pole. There was a short, then a bright flash of light, an explosion, and a shower of sparks. The lineman just stayed there on the top of the ladder, rubbing his eyes. He was probably blinded by the flash, or he had debris in his eyes from the explosion, or he got a shock. I thought he might be seriously injured so I parked my car and went back to check. He was alright and did not get shocked. He was momentarily blinded by the flash, and that's why he stayed there on the ladder for a moment, just rubbing his eyes. He was shaken, but not stirred...

Once Again, The Dash Cam Came Through: This is another reason why I like to have a dash cam running in the car all the time, not only to catch any accidents I might be involved in, but also to capture video of stuff like this that might happen right in front of your face.

Copyright 2012 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Don't forget to follow Panama Guide on Twitter. Salud.

Staff of the National System of Civil Protection located the body of a sailor at the mouth of the Bayano river. According to information provided the sailor was a crew member on a shrimp boat from Vacamonte who had been reported missing six days ago. It is presumed that the victim drowned accidentally after falling from the boat. (Critica)

Part of the roof of the new North Concourse of the Tocumen International Airport fell down this afternoon, Monday, 22 October 2012, confirmed the general manager Juan Carlos Pino. Pino said the incident occurred as they were installing a sound system, as part of the adjustments to the area, which began operations seven months after construction. He said after a preliminary investigation, they were able to determine that the structure did not fail as a result of leaks. However, they will continue to investigate to find out what was the main cause of the detachment. He added that no one was injured following the incident. (Prensa)

This Saturday 11am @ XS restaurant in Santa Clara a seminar on Panama gun laws and options. EDUCACIONPRIMERO.com will sponsor a seminar with guest speakers that will include an attorney who has worked as a administrative and criminal lawyer, for the National Police, the Ministry of Goberment and Justice and the Direction of Civilian Aeronautics. He works as a public policy analist for Goethals Consulting, and was part of the progun lobby during the making of the new gun law. Also the owner of a gun shop that is retired Presidential Protection Service. They are also the Panama Rifle Association, nonprofit organization to teach people about their safety and firearms responzabilidad. They are certified weapons instructors and training can do for our ministry approved security for people. There is no charge for this public service seminar.

The contents of one house were totally destroyed, and another house was affected, by a fire this afternoon on Calle 19 of Ciudad Radial. For now the causes of the fire are unknown, but there is talk that the fire started in one house, and then spread to another house that was close by. The fire was contained and there were no injuries. (Mi Diario)

The Fire Department of Panama needs to hire about 3,500 new firefighters. However it has been hard to attract new employees, because the government offers unattractive wages, the firemen have to work long days and shifts of 24 or 48 hours, they are responsible for the use of expensive equipment, and their job involves risks in their activities which are not compensated. But the manpower deficit is not only among the permanent staff of fire fighters, but also among volunteers and professionals such as architects and engineers.

Last week, during the presentation of speeches at the start of Fire Prevention Week, many mentioned the need for a more robust manpower pool. Lieutenant Edward Small of the National Directorate of Security, Fire Prevention and Investigation (Dinasepi) said they need to hire about 2,000 permanent firefighters and recruit about 2,500 volunteers, along with architects, engineers, electro mechanical engineers, plumbers and safety inspectors.

According to Small, one of the drawbacks to increase the staff is that when they try to hire an engineer for $700 to $800 per month, they don't accept because it does not meet their expectations, without taking into account that this would improve over the years and their category would change (with seniority). "Many people do not want to be a firefighter because someone selling things on the streel can make as much as $1,000 per month, and here the firemen are paid from $500 to $600 per month. We will have to bring in people from the interior (of the country)," he said.

When speaking about volunteers, he said before they provided two hours of service per week for free, but how that lost time represents lost income, they are now spending their time on other activities. "Here we are having faults. It is these situations that have led us to be in crisis, because people have become materialistic due to the economic situation," he said.

Effects - Gabriel Ghomez, the President of the Panama Fire Department, said they need to hire 3,500 firefighters nationally. In the areas of Panama and Colon they work 24 hours on and 48 hours off - meaning, they work 24 hours continuously followed by 48 hours off. In the rest of the country they 24 for 24 hours, then have 24 hours off. He explained that a firefighter starts his career with a monthly salary of $510 and after passing the probation period (three months) his salary is increased to $605 per month. By comparison, a garbage truck driver working for the Authority Urban and Household Cleanliness (AAUD) earns $720 monthly - or $115 more.

Several firefighters have quit, he said, because they are only being paid $605 per month and they have to deal with more responsibilities and more shifts, however at the AAUD they have less responsibility, less risky work, for more pay. A firefighter has to know about hydrants, knowing how much pressure should be given to the hoses, and in emergencies they must be skilled in driving the fire truck, because if they have an accident they have to pay for the damage, and the deductible is $5,000 dollars, he said. Currently there is dissatisfaction among the current firefighters because they have not had a wage equalization. (Panama America)

Jose Miranda, 60, was killed yesterday morning, inside of the grounds of the company Riegos de Chiriqui, located in the sector of Coquito, city of David, in the province of Chiriquí, while preparing to unload some steel pipes that fell on him. It was learned that Miranda resides in the area of La Foresta, in the village of Las Lomas, in David, and worked for a company dedicated to the transport of such materials. Relatives of the victim went to the place of the accident, who, in tears, could not believe what had happened. The removal of the body was conducted by the Prosecutor's Office of David, which ordered the transfer of the body to the Judicial Morgue for the examination of autopsy to determine the exact causes of death. (Dia a Dia)

After more than 20 hours of work, the Fire Department of Panama finally controlled the fire at the Bicsa Financial Center building on Avenida Balboa. Reports from the entity reveal the incident began at 5:30 pm on Wednesday. The fire originated in the second level of an underground parking garage that was being used as a storage area for equipment and furniture to be used in the hotel that will operate in this 67 story tall structure in the future.

The work to extinguish the fire was complicated by the presence of silicone, plastic, liquid solvents and other flammable materials that were in the place, causing several explosions. Firemen opened a hole to ventilate the smoke. The cause of the fire is still unknown. There were no reported injuries, nor was anyone affected by smoke inhalation.

For safety the Fire Department ordered the evacuation of all surrounding buildings. The 200 firefighters were assisted by the National Civil Protection System, the National Police, the Panama Canal Authority, and the Red Cross. Five water tanker trucks from the Institute of Aqueducts and Sewage Systems provided water supply, while six fire engines smothered the fire. President Ricardo Martinelli went to the scene of the fire, to learn more about what happened and to talk with the businessmen, but he refused to talk to the media. (Siglo)

Editor's Comment: When you have a lot of fuel (furniture, paint, building supplies, solvents) all stuffed into an enclosed space like a parking garage, it can be a real bitch to put out. As soon as you pull out one box of burning stuff that allows oxygen to get to the other burning material in the back, and it gets going again. The firemen had to pull out all of the boxes and furniture and other burning materials manually, by hand, one at a time, and hose it all down. This fire had traffic all along the Ave Balboa corridor royally screwed up for the past two days.

Members of the Fire Department of Panama responded to extinguish a fire that occurred in the afternoon yesterday, Wednesday, in a building under construction, located on Avenida Balboa. Their effort to put the fire out lasted until the early morning hours of today, Thursday, 11 October 2012, with the participation of more than 130 fire fighters. Early unofficial reports indicate the fire started the fire started in a storage area where there was furniture that is being installed in the building, which is still under construction. The Security Office of the Fire Department is continuing their investigations of this fire. (Critica)

A family living in the area of Los Andes #2 suffered material losses after a fire broke out. The incident was caused by a lighter on a stove that was covered in grease, causing the fire. No injuries were reported. (Dia a Dia)

Editor's Comment: You should have a small fire extinguisher in your kitchen for these kinds of grease fires, and another larger one in your bedroom, in case you wake up in the middle of the night to find that your living room is engulfed in flames. You might be able to knock it down enough to escape the building. In short, have a plan.

The Deputy Minister of Education José Herrera Kivers said after the incident that occurred yesterday morning in which one girl was killed and two others were injured, they immediately launched an investigation into the events at the República de Japón school. Kivers said their investigation indicates the construction of the wall that collapsed was not reported to the Office of Engineering of the Ministry of Education, and apparently it was built by the parents themselves sometime between 2000 to 2005. In this regard, he said they would continue with their investigation which should tell them the situation in which the wall was built. He also added the prosecutors of the Public Ministry are carrying out their own investigations. Kivers said when the current administration took over the Ministry of Education, they changed the method used to build these kinds of projects, and previously school principals did not have to report when things were being built, and at the same time some things were built without any form of contract, oversight, or inspection. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: And there you have it. The school principal at the time receives funding from the Ministry of Education, and then they spend that money to build "infrastructure" of some sort. In this case, they went out and apparently hired Uncle Pablo to slap up a two meter high wall, with no form of planning, design, specifications, or approvals. I would love to know how much money the school paid to have that wall built - and one can easily speculate they probably paid way, way, way too much for the thing. Of course the extra money was probably kicked back and divided up. And that was all well and good, until Uncle Pablo's wall fell down and crushed a kid. So maybe I was wrong. Maybe they do need to go fry the poor SOB who built the damn wall afterall. When there's no regs, specs, plans, oversight, or approvals - people do whatever the hell they want. And here's the really sad part. It probably was not illegal or improper at the time, just "the way we've always done things."

The Auxiliary Prosecutor Dimas Guevara opened an official investigation yesterday to determine whether there is criminal responsibility over the collapse of a wall at the Escuela del Japón yesterday, killing a girl and wounding two others. The Public Ministry reported they are interrogating witnesses and those who were involved in the construction of the wall, starting today. They will also summon school campus authorities and those from the Ministry of Education. Witnesses who saw the wall collapse said it failed when the girls were playing with a rope attached to the structure. (Prensa)

Editor's Comment: This wall was about two meters tall, and was a free standing structure located behind the school. It was used to display things like the official emblem of Panama, and other national symbols. This is the first time I've heard the version that there was a rope attached to the wall, and the girls were pulling on it. The wall was apparently built of cinder blocks stacked one on top of the other, with no lateral support, or columns. Also, it was not designed to be an anchor point for a rope to be pulled on and played with. It was supposed to just sit there and hold up signs. Reportedly there were no reports that the wall was damaged or failing because it was probably just fine, until it failed - because the girls were being allowed to use it in an inappropriate manner. But because this is Panama, they will probably fry the poor SOB who laid the blocks in 2005.

A six year old boy was injured when he was caught in the middle of a shooting that occurred in El Chorrillo. The incident occurred in the early morning hours today. The child was hit in the left shoulder and was taken to Children's Hospital. It was learned he is out of danger but remains under observation. (Dia a Dia)

"We will investigate everything that has to be investigated, we will confront this case with everything that is known," were the first impressions of the Minister of Education Lucy Molinar, after the tragedy, on Thursday morning at the School of the Republic of Japan where a wall fell on top of three girls, killing one of them. The Minister, who expressed dismay at the incident, said the wall had been built in 2005, and that according to the file in the Ministry of Education on this school, there were no reports of damage to this wall. "This is the disorder that had been in our institutions," said Molinar who lamented the incident, and who was emphatic in saying that every effort will be needed to investigate what happened and also the company that built this structure. The Minister said they remain in discussions with members of the National Civil Protection System and others to attend the case. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: Lucy Molinar is about the only person I would trust in the entire government of Panama on simple blind faith.

One child was killed and two others were injured after when a retaining wall collapsed at the República de Japón school, located in the area of La Locería. The children were treated by firemen and taken to the hospital. According to the Deputy Minister of Education, Mirna de Crespo, technicians have already been sent to the school grounds, to review the area and to conduct an investigation to determine what happened.

Witnesses who saw what happened said the retaining wall did not have steel reinforcements, and complaints have been made for a few months, however the campus authorities did not make the necessary repairs.

The accident occurred when the students were outside during physical education classes. The child who died was in the fourth grade. The other students were away from the place where the wall gave way. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Now, they will do something. This is the typical "drive it until the wheels fall off" attitude. Now that a wall has literally collapsed and killed a fourth grade school student, this will become a priority. But, only now. It's frustrating to watch, and unfortunately this sort of thing seems to be ingrained in the culture. There seems to be no translation for "preventative maintenance."

Arraiján - A pedestrian bridge located over the highway from Arraiján - La Chorrera collapsed today, Tuesday, 2 October 2012. One person was injured, according to reports. The incident occurred when the structure was being removed with the help of a crane, which, as it turns out, could not support the weight of the bridge. The Ministry of Public Works had reported earlier they would be doing work to remove and replace this pedestrian bridge between 2 - 4 October. This project is part of a contract being executed by the company Transcaribe Trading, to raise the height of the bridge at the foundations, so that larger and taller trucks would be able to pass underneath with greater clearance. It was learned that the person who was injured working worked for the company Transcaribe Trading as a welder, and was taken to the Nicolás A. Solano hospital. Meanwhile, the road remains closed. (Prensa)

What started as a fun trip among coworkers ended in tragedy, when one of the swimmers drowned in the stream that overlooks the beach of Punta Barco in the district of Chame, in the Western part of the province of Panama. An area resident said the young men arrived Wednesday morning to swim, and as they were about to leave they realized that 19 year old Nicolás Pitty Guerra was missing. Pitty Guerra's body was found Thursday morning floating lifeless in the estuary of San Jose. Authorities are investigating whether the death of this person was accidental or intentional. (TVN)

According to data held in Panama, in physical security (people and goods), the security-related companies in Panama billed as a whole $18 million per month and there are 17,500 people working as private security guards. Today there will be a press conference during which they will provide details of the economic behavior of the security industry. They will also issue a report on the Third International Security Conference and Exhibition, to be held in the Fontana Lounge of the Hotel Continental, on 18 and 19 October, from 9:00 am until 6:30 pm. (Mi Diario)

The operator of a crane did not realize until it was too late, that the unit tore down the electrical power lines on Avenue Manuel Maria Batista, near the Latin American University. The driver of the crane attributed the mishap to a tensor suddenly placed in the sector. He said four or five of these cranes cross through this sector every day to go to Calle 50 without and complications, until now. Several people evacuated the area to avoid accidents with the downed cables. (TVN)

A family afternoon ended in tragedy when Jose Angel Navarro Villar, 50, drowned after saving his two daughters from the swimming area in El Salto, in San Francisco de La Montaña, in Veraguas. It was 5:00 pm on Saturday, when, suddenly, the water flow at El Salto started increasing, which alerted swimmers. The situation became tense when the swimmers realized there were two young women hanging onto a cable running through the popular swimming area. Jose Angel, father of the girls, aged 15 and 17 years, upon seeing they were at risk, jumped into the water to try to rescue them. The man, who was a taxi driver, was able to rescue one of his daughters. When he returned with the other girl, he disappeared as he reached the beach. His daughter made ​​it to shore, but her father did not.

People in the area said there is a vortex in the pool that sucks people away from the beach. Just after 5:30 pm rescuers from the National System of Civil Protection from Veraguas reached the area, who initiated the search, but an hour later it was suspended because there was not enough light.

Residents waited for the authorities to withdraw from the area to restart the search, and at 8:00 pm they found the lifeless body of Jose Angel, caught between two rocks. Camilo Torres, a resident of San Francisco, lamented that the Sinaproc rescuers withdrew from the place without rescuing the victim's body.

Luis Aguirre, director of Sinaproc in Veraguas, clarified that the institution has protocols that are mandatory for the safety of the rescuers. He said there was an alert for high tides and rain in the mountains and that the population does not respect them.

José Ángel was the father of three children. He lived in Ponuguita de San Martin de Santiago de Veraguas. (Siglo)

From: Panama, ACS
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 3:42 PM
Subject: SECURITY MESSAGE FOR US CITIZENS

Due to the September 11th anniversary and ongoing incidents of violence worldwide, U.S. citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.

On September 14, the U.S. Embassy received a report of a U.S. citizen being threatened in Panama City.

Read the Department of State’s most recent Worldwide Caution http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa..._4787.html

Should you become aware of a threat to U.S Citizens here in Panama, please immediately notify the Panamanian National Police and call the Embassy at 317-5200.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Travel Warnings and Public Announcements, including the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, can be found.

Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

For updated information on the security situation in Panama, please contact the American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy at 317-5030. The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy is located in Clayton, Building 783, in the Clayton section of Panama. The Consular Section fax is 317-5303. The Embassy web site is http://panama.usembassy.gov/ and e-mails should be addressed to Panama-ACS@state.gov. After hours and emergency phone number: 317-5000 or 317-5200.

This email is UNCLASSIFIED.

(US Embassy Panama Press Release)

Rigoberto Castillo Henriquez, 50, an employee of the Revisalud company, was killed early Thursday morning when a garbage truck ran over him while doing cleanup. The accident occurred at 12:00 midnight on Wednesday on the main street of Monte Oscuro, in San Miguelito. This is the same route where on 15 December 2011, the same truck crushed Ricardo Alcides Delgado 48. The worker fell to the ground after slipping in dog poop.

As always, Rigoberto began work at 7:00 pm as a garbage collector. He had successfully completed his first tour. During his second voyage, Rigoberto continued his task of throwing garbage bags into the back of the truck, which was going at a speed of 4 miles per hour according to company representatives. Suddenly, dogs waylaid him. According to his peers, the dogs barked so close that, presumably, he thought they were going to bite him. The worker jump back and fell under the truck, which ran over him. He died at the scene.

His Life - 'Rigo' as he was called, lived in house number 6 in Sector 5 of the Sinai neighborhood, in Samaria, San Miguelito. There he lived with his wife Vielka Rios and their three children, ages 22, 19 and 7 years. His widow remembers him as a man who would bend over backwards for his youngest daughter, who he adored. He loved typical music, 'Rigo' liked coconut rice and pork. He celebrated his birthday on 15 February with a family party. His biggest dream was to finish plastering the walls of his house. (Siglo)

This morning there was an accident in the Liberación sector of Torrijos Carter, where a company is performing a public works project, and a huge spool of cable broke loose and rolled into a house, destroying a wall and ending up in the living room. At the time of the accident the residents of the house were in one of the bedrooms. There were no injuries, only material damages. (Telemetro)

This morning a taxi was completely consumed by flames at the Melo in Rio Abajo, and there were no reports of injuries. The fire caused a huge traffic jam in the area. The cause of the fire is unknown, or who owned the vehicle. (Mi Diario)

Despite the warnings issued by the National Civil Protection System about high tides for last weekend, many Panamanians went to the various Pacific beaches anyway, and one of them was the scene of a tragedy: the death of two men by drowning. The incident occurred on Coronado Beach where two men, aged 35 and 42, were the victims. According to the Sinaproc, it is estimated that the had been in the water since Saturday afternoon. Sinaproc issued warnings about high tides and dangerous currents all along the Pacific beaches starting last Friday 31 August 2012 at 3:21 pm, lasting until 6:02 pm on September 4. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: You don't have to wait for the SINAPROC to issue a high tide warning, because they do it every month, like clockwork, because the high tides occur with the full moon. When the high tides occur, more water gets pulled up onto the beaches and there's a greater chance of a dangerous rip tide occurring.

Carlos del Río, 19, arrived at the Santo Tomas hospital in Panama City with a single gunshot wound to his left leg, after suffering an accident at his home in Brisas del Golf, San Miguelito. Apparently he was handling a firearm and the gun accidentally went off, striking him in the left leg. He is in stable condition. (Siglo)

A fire occurred Wednesday night 29 August 2012 on the 27th floor of the Solaris building, located in El Cangrejo, which was suppressed by units of the Fire Brigade. It was reported a foreign woman in the apartment was affected by smoke inhalation, so she was taken for medical attention. The Fire Department began investigations to determine the cause of this fire. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: My fire department sources tell me this was a contents fire in an apartment owned by a member of the English speaking community of expatriates in Panama. In Panama the old wooden buildings will catch fire and burn down, but in the newer cement apartment buildings contents fires like this are relatively common, leaving the structure itself practically untouched. It's relatively cheap and easy to get fire insurance on the contents of your apartment or house. Glad that no one was seriously injured.

I have an apartment in Edificio P.H. Arrecife in Paitilla (Calle Ramon H Jurado=Calle 56 Este) across from the Super Kosher. The Gas to the building has been shut off indefinitely. Here is a note from my tenant. "Good evening, So here is the situation. The gas main of the building has a leak + there are leaks in the lines to several apartments. We are not getting clear answers from Isis. What is clear is that the building has not been safe and Isis probably knew about it. The repair may take up to two weeks. Bottom line is that the building is not habitable and many tenets left until this unsafe situation is fixed. Given the open-ended situation, I have no choice but to seek temporary housing, cost of which will be subtracted from the rent due." Background: The HOA was contemplating installation of individual gas meters for no given reason. Turns out that consumption was high and since gas is included the monthly fees were to be raised. Another soultion was to install individual meters and bill by usage. A month later it was found that there are leaks within the building mains and individual apartments. Rosa Quinones (6607-1842) is the manager and Isis is her assistant in the lobby of the building. Rosa never goes to the building.

Editor's Comment: Err, OK. That's unfortunate. I hope it gets fixed soon. Look at it this way - at least they know about the problem and are taking steps to get it fixed. Normally they just wait for the BOOM!

A crop duster plane crashed today in Tanara, Chepo, and the pilot, the sole occupant, Juan Carlos Espino, was injured. The plane with registration number HP 1739 CE was being used to spray insecticide when it crashed into a rice paddy and was completely destroyed. According to the preliminary report, the accident occurred when the plane hit a bird. No one was injured on the ground because the accident occurred in an uninhabited area. (TVN)

An alarm occurred at about 2:45 pm in the Supreme Court for an alleged bomb located inside the building. It was learned that all Court officials were quickly evacuated by the Judicial Investigation Department (DIJ). According to unofficial information, the officials said a black briefcase was supposedly introduced into the building, which is what the authorities were presumably looking for. At this time there are teams of explosive experts from the DIJ within the Supreme Court looking for the alleged threat. (TVN)