Early this morning, Thursday, the driver of a sedan collided with an electrical utility pole in front of the Hotel Montreal on Vía España, causing the road to be closed. After the impact the pole broke and the transformers fell into the busy road, corroborated police Sub Commissioner Teofilo Moreno. According to a report from the Ground Traffic and Transportation Authority, Vía España remains closed from the El Carmen church, and they recommend drivers take alternate routes. For her part, the spokeswoman for the utility company Union Fenosa, Vivian Pineda, confirmed that the damage to the electric pole left many users in the area without electrical service, and work crews are already there at the scene to make repairs, which could take several hours. (Panama America)   

Alberto Castro, a concierge who worked at the PH Metric Tower, where an explosion occurred last week, has died. The information was confirmed by the medical staff of the St. Thomas Hospital, where he was hospitalized due to injuries sustained in the explosion. Doctors at St. Thomas reported that Castro did not improve and he suffered a brain death. Early reports revealed that Castro had burns on 50% of his body and was being treated in the burn center at the Santo Tomas, where the other wounded are also being treated. With regards to the explosion, authorities are awaiting the final report of the Security Office of the Fire Department of Panama. Meanwhile, the office of the Deputy Attorney General has opened an investigation. (Telemetro)   

CHAME, Panama - The bodies of three people who were buried yesterday afternoon, Saturday, after the collapse of a two story house were recovered this morning in the district of Chame. Among the dead is the owner of the property, a Colombian national, the grounds keeper and a welder. The house was still under construction. The task of recovering the bodies of the victims was conducted by officials of the National Civil Protection System. Meanwhile, prosecutors are working to identify the bodies. (La Prensa)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received today via email: "Hello Don, I frequently drive down to the Darien to volunteer in the Embera/ Wounaan Comarca (and have done so for the last 4 years). Recently at least 2 bus loads of volunteers have been turned back by the police in Agua Fria (just outside of Metati). Others that I know have been held for hours at the police checkpoint there. The Panamanian police stated that, other than residents, "visitors" must have special written police permission to pass through that checkpoint. Do you have any further information on this. I would hate to spend 3 or 4 hours driving down to be turned back due to some new "policy". There is nothing new on the US Embassy website regarding FARC or military action in the area... Heard anything? Keith"

I Have Heard Some Similar Stories: I know the Panamanian government is trying hard to improve their control over the Darien region. I know there are hundreds of US Military personnel deployed to the area as part of the New Horizons humanitarian assistance project and that they are living on the SENAFRONT base at Meteti. I imagine the Panamanian security forces have greatly stepped up security in the area in an effort to keep the FARC from trying anything against the US military personnel, mostly reservists, who are building roads, schools, clinics, and the like. Also, there has been a virtual news blackout on this years New Horizons deployment, when normally both the government of Panama as well as the US embassy in Panama, as well as the US Southern Command, try to milk it for as much positive press and PR as possible. Therefore, I suspect that if you take the time to first coordinate through the offices of the Ministry of Public Security (Jose Raul Mulino) to let them know where you're going, when, where, and why - they you will probably get an approval as well as a security escort. If you just show up with a bus load of people, you could very well be turned away. Of course, you could also just buy a small patch of dirt down there someplace which would make you a "property owner" and then they would be hard pressed to keep you from going under any circumstances. Let me know how this works out - it's an interesting development. I suspect the additional security will mostly fade away once the US military finishes their deployment and goes back home.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

The balcony of an old house located on 9th Street with Central Avenue and Melendez in Colon collapsed this morning, but no injuries were reported despite the fact that more than 100 people live in the building. The residents in the building closed the street, protesting, waiting for the authorities to give them a solution. The TVN correspondent in Colon reported that no shelters to house the homeless, because all are full as a result of the fires that have occurred in condemned houses. Meanwhile, the street remains closed. (TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: More stuff in Panama that I simply don't understand. First of all, there are all kinds of buildings like this in Panama City and Colon that should simply be condemned. The owners of the properties, who have been collecting rent for generations, are slum lords who have not spent a dime on repairs, maintenance, or upkeep. Those people should be identified, fined, and forced to pay the expenses associated with relocating the former tenants. Then, those old buildings should be bulldozed and erased like a bad memory. The government is working on a project to completely rebuild a large section of Curundu and they need a similar plan for areas like Colon and parts of Santa Ana. What I don't get - why are these people out there protesting in the street asking the government for a "solution" because the balcony collapsed? Was it a government owned building? I doubt it. In this country if someone eats a bad burrito and gets gas, it's the president's fault. I guess that's the leftover from years of dictatorial rule, when there was literally only one man in the country who had to decide everything for everyone.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - On 20 April 2010 - now 81 days ago - the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the death of 11 platform workers and the injury of 17 others. Millions of gallons of crude have since spilled into the ocean, by some estimates as much as 126 million gallons or more, creating the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States of America. I'm pleased to announce that BP has hired this expert from Australia to handle press inquiries regarding how this came to be, what they are doing to stop the flow of oil, and their efforts to clean up the mess.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

A fire that occurred this afternoon in the Colon Free Zone in the sector of Coco Solito, France Field, has caused multi million dollar losses that have not yet been calculated. The fire started at approximately 12:40 pm this Thursday afternoon, 8 July 2010, in the upper level of the La Bomba warehouse. Firefighters from the province of Colon responded to the scene. Their efforts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful because there are no fire hydrants installed in the area, forcing them to draw from stagnant water sources close to the sector. Although the fire initially started far away from the warehouses of a company dedicated to the exportation of tires, this material is what caused the fire to grow and spread, and to cause major economic losses to the owners of this business.

Leidi Esquina, the person in charge of one of the companies affected, said she was unaware of the fire, but when the firemen arrived they asked her to open the doors. "I was afraid because I knew that all of the warehouses were going to burn because there is no water," she said. Leonardo Roman, commander of the firefighters, said it was difficult to control the fire, because it was focused on the top floor and the flames made it difficult to work, and what's more they didn't have enough water.

The manager of the Colon Free Zone, Leopoldo Benedetti who came to scene, said that ironically he met with some contractors who would start next week, working together with the IDAAN and an investment of $7 million dollars, to install the water connection. Severo Sousa, president of the Association of Free Zone Users, asked the authorities that now since they have increase their taxes and collected more revenue from the companies in the Free Zone, he expects a quick solution to the lack of water in the area. He added that he hopes another similar fire does not break out which could cause the loss of human life. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Can you even imagine a collection of huge warehouses, full of things like tires, with no source of water to fight a fire when the inevitable fire breaks out? These kinds of fires happen frequently in the Colon Free Trade Zone, and every time the firemen complain about the lack of water. This is just the most recent fire in a long string of identical situations. And for the record, the firemen never did put this fire out. As of the end of the 6:00 pm news this evening, it was still burning hot and black. I suspect it might take it a few days to burn itself out completely - a huge stack of burning rubber can go for a long time - lots of fuel.   

The Government of Panama announced the appointment of Pablo Enrique Tuñón Vejas as the new General Director of the Fire Department of Panama. He is currently a Capitan, a 35 year veteran in the fire department, and rescue specialist who is highly respected among the rank and file of the the fire department. Major Rodrigo Luis Baruco Ruiz was named as Deputy Director. Both appointments will run for a period of five years. Today there will be a ceremony in the office of Minister Roxana Méndez. (La Estrella)

Editor's Comment: The Fire Department of Panama has been one of the most corrupt organizations in Panama for many years. Successive governments and administrations have poured in money, however the fire department has been sort of "self regulating" and very hard to audit, for some reason. The money goes in, however the firemen have marginal equipment, there are holes in the boots, the fire trucks are broken down, there is no effective maintenance program - basically, they are broke and on their ass. The money was apparently used to pay salaries and whatever was left over was stolen. Now that the former Ministry of Government and Justice has been broken in two and the responsibilities divided, the management of the Fire Department falls to Minister Roxana Méndez. And, the appointment of these two guys as the new Chiefs of the Fire Department are probably the first steps of going down that long road of "fixing" the fire department of Panama, once and for all. Hopefully, good news. The government of Panama needs to spend some serious money on the Fire Department to improve and upgrade their capabilities (especially in the area of high rise rescue and disaster response), and maybe now they can, without having to worry about pissing it away.   

Two children, a three year old and a five year old, died in a fire that happened at about 2:00 pm yesterday afternoon on Ave. Ancon, diagonal to the Santa Ana Community Board. The fire, which only affected apartment number 25 on the second floor of the "La Fortaleza" building, the cause of which has not yet been officially determined by authorities, allegedly started on a mattress. According to witnesses, at the time of the fire, Enilsa Ortega, mother of the children, tried to help her children by removing the mattress from the apartment but her efforts were in vain. When she returned, she saw the flames had spread and she was unable to return to the room, although she tried to enter several times, without success. According to unofficial versions, the siblings died in each other's arms, apparently trying to protect each other from the flames. Breakdown - After the tragedy, the mother was taken to St. Thomas Hospital in the midst of a nervous breakdown. The family comprises also of another ten year old girl, who at the time of the fire was attending school, as well as another brother who lives with his grandfather in the Darien. The father of the family, who works as a fisherman, was at sea when the fire occurred. The grandfather Claudio Antonio Zúñiga, who lives in Darien, was visiting and had just left the apartment 30 minutes before the accident. To quell the fire, three fire trucks responded to the scene, and they gained control of the fire within minutes and prevented it from spreading to other apartments in the building. (Panama America)   

For the third time workers of the different companies that have offices in the Global Bank Tower building located on Calle 50 were once again evacuated by the authorities. It is still unknown why authorities made the decision to evacuate the building. The fire department is one the scene. (Panama America)   

The Interior Minister-designate, Roxana Méndez, said the various committees formed to assess, agree and work on the development of plans and strategies for improving internal security are advancing positively, and they are providing continuity to the plan of work called for by President Ricardo Martinelli. Mendez said the axis of Legislative Reform presented a request asking that the president not delay his endorsement of the changes to Law 40, because they believe the extension of the time allowed for research and investigation will not achieve any positive impact, and that the opposite could occur, representing a decline. The proposal also emphasizes the need to provide resources to prosecutors to investigate quickly, and to have the necessary experts required, and to collect evidence so they can prove the facts in judicial cases. Yesterday, the National Government pledged that on 1 July 2010 they would present to the National Assembly a bill on the regulation of gun ownership and the regulation of private security companies. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Interior? OK. For some reason I had it in my head Roxana Méndez had been tagged to be the new Minister of Security. The Panamanian government just recently split the old Ministry of Government and Justice into two new entities. The first is the Ministry of Security, which basically is responsible for everyone who has a gun - the National Police, Border Service, SENAN, etc. The second is the new Ministry of the Interior, which will be responsible for all of the other stuff that also used to fall under the old Ministry of Government and Justice - things like the penitentiary system, civil aviation, etc. Roxana Méndez will be the new Interior Minister. She is a Ricardo Martinelli and "Cambio Democratico" loyalist, and she ran on the ticket with Bosco Vallarino as the Vice Mayor of Panama City. She had a falling out with Bosco after the election and was ready to throw in the towel and walk, until they told her to cool her jets and hang on, and that she would be "bumped" from the Municipality to the Minister's job. Ricardo Martinelli takes care of his own.   

The first plane carrying humanitarian aid to the community of Puerto Limón in the Madugandí comarca departed at 8:45 this morning. A fire yesterday destroyed the 23 buildings in the community, leaving practically everyone homeless. The director of the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC), Arturo Alvarado, confirmed that a total 160 people were affected by the fire, among them adults and children, of whom 11 are infants. Alvarado said SINAPROC staff is in the area and that the people who were affected by the fire spent the night in the few houses that were not destroyed. He said staff from the Ministry of Housing would arrive at 10:00 am this morning with a promise of economic support, and the Social Investment Fund would provide equipment to start to rebuild their homes. The members of the community allege the fire started in the central community building and from there spread to their residences. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Many of the people in the remote indigenous communities still live pretty much like they did 500 years ago. They build shacks out of materials available in the surrounding jungle, which includes thatched roofs over wooden frames. Over time these roofs become very dry and their houses turn into little more than tinder. Over the past several years there have been several similar events - fires which destroy practically every building in the entire community. Once a fire starts the hot embers go from one roof to the next and poof - the whole place goes up in smoke. In a few weeks they will have rebuilt the whole thing and gone back to living like nothing had ever happened, just as they have done for hundreds of years.   

The Security Office of the Fire Department of Panama issued their report on the incident at the Global Bank Tower on 14 May, indicating the fire was caused by "the #500 aluminum cables used by the distributor," Union Fenosa. These cables were connected to the transformers, one of which failed due to the high temperatures and heat. Electrical expert Liborio Montenegro said the incident occurred in the electrical room under transformer No. 2, which that thought at first to have exploded, but the expert denied this possibility. The report from the Security Office is 27 pages long. Technicians from the fire department recommend that samples of the cables should be sent to the lab for analysis, because some of them were not property marked with the type, size, voltage rating, current capacity, and specific use as required by NEC 310 - 14. The fire department report will be a fundamental piece of evidence for determining liability for the incident that caused economic damage to the companies who had offices operating in the Global Bank Tower, some of whom could not operate for nearly a week. (La Critica)

Editor's Comment: This report appears to be generally consistent with an early release of the same information that came from the building's managers. According to them, there was a smaller 1,500 Kva transformer installed in the building that was used for many months. Later, Union Fenosa swapped out the smaller 1,500 Kva units for larger 2,500 Kva units, and apparently their technicians used these same aluminum cables to connect the higher capacity transformers that were not rated or capable of handling the higher load. So, they eventually failed and burned. As pointed out in the article, the wires failed and burned, not the transformers themselves.

   

The Deputy Attorney General is waiting for the return of the parents of nine year old Santiago Bicay Gómez, who left the country for Mexico. It appears they took the body of their child back to Mexico for burial. Prosecutor Neftali Jaén said the parents of the child who fell from the 27th floor of the San Francisco Bay building last month left the country, but they must return in order to provide an expanded declaration, and they promised to do so. There are no indications that a crime was committed, and the case is being handled as an accident. In addition, the possibility of sleepwalking has not been ruled out. The first statement provided by the father left little doubt that the incident was an accident, and investigators still have to measure the height of the balcony where the child fell. The boy's mother could not testify because she was still in shock over the death of her only son. The child's body landed on top of the transformers for the building, after he fell from a central window of the apartment on the 27th floor of Tower 1. The child's death occurred at 4:00 am on May 26. (La Critica)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This afternoon I received an email from someone calling themselves "Torre Global Bank Survivor" which contains some additional information on the transformer fire that occurred there a couple of weeks ago. I have not yet checked with my contacts in the Inspection Office of the Fire Department, but I will, to ask specifically about the details provided in this message. Again, I have no idea how much of this is true or valid, but I know there are a bunch of people in that building who are trying to figure out who to sue. After the fire several people contacted me to provide their versions of what happened. Message Follows, in it's entirety;

• Yesterday there has been a Torre Global meeting, where building administration disclosed what is going on and the reasons why happened what happened. And we discovered very interesting things there.
  
  
• The building was designed to function with 2500 KVA transformer, but at the moment when the building was build Union Fenosa didn't have such transformer available so as the building was also not entirely occupied the put there only 1500 KVA transformer that worked fine for some years. About 9 month back Union Fenosa removed 1500 KVA and replaced it with 2500 KVA transformer, in the process of replacement they had also to change cables, but there has been some issues with cable length and that resulted that cables installed was inadequate for electricity current. Adding to this the cables that was installed was made from aluminum and they are not allowed for usage in Panama by anybody, but Union Fenosa, or putting it in another words - the freaking cables so unsafe that it is forbidden to use it in Panama! But somehow Union Fenosa got special permit to use them.
  
  
• And what followed next. Inadequate cabling was overheated to the point when insulation is melted and cables shortcut causing transformer to overheat to the point when it started to drop oil and catch on fire. Burning not only transformer room but also electric room on the floor below.
  
  
• Believe it or not the fire in Torre Global in not the first case, there has been actually a series of the similar cable failures, to be exact 5 cases, some of them is Multiplaza and Torres de Las Americas. One of the cases was settled for money.
  
  
• So even before entering to the scene of accident they could guess what happened and had a new transformer ready for installation, once they got permit to enter, they retrieved damaged transformer and carry it by their words to Universidad Tecnologica for analysis of failure for Fire Department. Later Fire Department said that they don't know anything about it. And appeared another curios fact - the investigator hired by Union Fenosa is actually work in Universidad Tecnologica in the same place that supposed to give independent analysis. Well you can guess what kind of analysis that will be.
  
  
• Union Fenosa decided to play offensive since the beginning claiming that everything is the fault of the building even before they entered to the building to actually see what is happened. Sending angry letters that the building will have to pay for everything. Well, the battle is coming, about 200 companies vs rich monopoly.
  
  
• And in the meanwhile they continue to install dangerous cables to the new buildings. And God knows how much such ticking bombs – building is out there, I guess somebody have to lose their life to finally put the end to this malpractice...

As Chance Would Have It: I just turns out that I happened to be walking into the Multiplaza shopping mall on Saturday, 28 April 2007 when the transformer fire broke out that's mentioned in this email. The building administrators are saying they fell victim to the same thing - failing heavy duty wires to an over loaded transformer. Well, it makes sense. One thing that rings true is - lack of control over the fire scene. I hope my buds down at the Fire Department Safety and Inspection office got all of the evidence and photos they needed to accurately determine the cause of this fire before they let the electrical company haul the transformer out of there. They do pretty good at that - well - let's just say they are getting better. Anyway, I've been hammering away on the building administration over the issue of emergency lighting and locks on the doors in the stairwells. If the electrical company is responsible for the fire, then they should take the heat (ouch.)

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

Many people where shocked and scared by the collapse of a metal roof over a parking area of an apartment building located on Calle 74 in the San Francisco neighborhood of Panama City this morning. Reports indicate that several plates of metal covered in foam insulation had been placed on top of the weak roof, and the additional weight caused it to collapse with all of the material falling into two vehicles that were parked there. There were no reports of injuries. (Telemetro)    

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Back in 2006 the Republic of Panama started and effort to improve the safety and security of its high rise buildings, and adopted the standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Life Safety Code. When the fire occurred in the Global Bank building a couple of weeks ago, many of the people who were trying to evacuate the building were effectively "trapped" in the stairwells. According to NFPA 101, doors to stairwells are required to open "in the direction of travel." Meaning, if you are on the floor and you are going towards the stairs, the door should "push" towards the stairs, rather than you having to "pull" the door to open it. But that's not the problem in the Global Bank. The problem is that the building administrators have installed locks on the doors, so that once you are in the stairwell and the door closes behind you, it is impossible to reopen the door, either on your floor or any of the other floors above or below you. This is a clear violation of NFPA 101, specifically section 7.2.1.5.7 - which says:

• 2003 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (7.2.1.5.7) 2003 NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code (11.2.1.5.2)
  
  
• (Note: These requirements refer to enclosed exit stairs, not to outside stairs.)
  
  
• In stairwells stowing four stories or less, stair doors may be mechanically locked on the stair side. In stairwells serving more than four stories, the following three options are available:
  
  
• 1. Re-entry from the stair enclosure to the interior of the building shall be provided (doors are not locked).
  
  
• 2. An automatic release that is actuated with the initiation of the building fire alarm system shall be provided to unlock all stair doors (fail-safe electrified hardware unlocks upon fire alarm).
  
  
• 3. Selected re-entry shall be provided in accordance with the following:
  
  
• a) At least two levels must be unlocked.
  
  
• b) There may not be more than four locked floors between unlocked floors.
  
  
• c) The top or next to the top floor that allows access to another exit must be unlocked.
  
  
• d) There must be signage on the stair side identifying unlocked doors.
  
  
• e) There must be signage on the stair side of locked doors indicating the nearest unlocked door in each direction (up/down).
  
  
• Note: The high-rise chapters of these codes require two-way telephone communication service for fire department use at every level of the stair enclosure, unless the fire department radio system has been approved as equivalent.

I Knew It, Just Didn't Have The Reference: Stairwell doors in high rise buildings should not be locked. This is the practical equivalent of putting a chain and a padlock on an exit in a nightclub for "security" reasons. It only matters in case of a fire or emergency. And, when there was a fire in the building, people who were trying to evacuate found themselves "trapped" in the stairways, with inadequate emergency lighting and no way to get out of the stairwells. Hopefully this issue will be addressed, in the Global Bank building, and in every other building in Panama City.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Early this morning at approximately 4:30 am, a nine year old boy fell to his death from the 27th floor of the San Francisco Bay high rise. The security guard who was working at the entry control point heard a loud noise, and when he went to investigate he discovered the body of the child that had fallen only ten meters from where he was working, and notified authorities. Initially security personnel in the building and first responders did not know from what floor the child had fallen. Eventually his parents on the 27th floor were identified, and reportedly in recent days his parents, who are from Mexico, had chastised the child because he liked to climb up to look out of the window. Right now government officials from the Public Ministry as well as investigators from the Direction of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) are on the scene to investigate this tragedy.

Copyright 2009 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just got a phone call from one of the businesses who rent space in the Global Bank building. Apparently this morning they tried to reconnect the primary electrical service for the building. One of the main transformers failed and burned on Friday, 14 May 2010, causing a smoky fire and prompting the evacuation of the entire building. Since then the building has been running (somewhat) on a temporary electrical generator, and this morning technicians tried to throw the switch to put the building back on the primary grid. When they tried to throw the switch, "something blew" and the building was evacuated, again. Now the television camera crews are there (again), and the building's occupants are wondering if things are ever going to get back to normal. And this is just the electrical service. Apparently in the fire the main switch for all of the fiber optics in the building were also destroyed, meaning there are no telephones or internet services available, either. It just keeps getting deeper for the Global Bank building at this point.

Update - 10:26 am: Police officers and the fire department are now on the scene. The building is being evacuated - but it's unclear if the evacuation is "official" or just people leaving on their own. There is no electrical service to the building. Some charged fire hoses have been taking water to the basement of the building, so apparently there was another fire of some type. Office workers from the companies remaining in the building are throwing boxes of papers into their cars and heading out.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

This morning a fire completely destroyed a three story building located on Calle 15 of Santa Ana. Local authorities, the national police and fire department, arrived on the scene and immediately evacuated people from the burning building as well as the surrounding buildings over fears that the fire might spread. Three Colombian women were injured when they were trapped by the fire and forced to leap from a balcony to the street below. They were taken by ambulance to the emergency room of the Santo Tomas hospital for treatment. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the Inspectors of the Safety Office of the Fire Department are realizing their investigations to determine the cause of the fire. The three story building was completely destroyed because the outside walls were made of masonry but the internal part of the structure was wooden. (Telemetro)   

After the alarm caused by an explosion in the Torre Global Bank, on Calle 50, possible causes of the incident have been identified. The company Union Fenosa (Edemet-Edechi), responsible for the distribution of electricity in this sector of Panama City, issued a press releases saying the incident was due to overheating in a transformer located in the basement of the building. This transformer is the main source of energy for the 40 story structure. Union Fenosa's statement said the cause of the fire is unknown and pending investigations to be carried out by the Security Office of the Fire Department of Panama. (Telemetro)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I have been repeating the same thing over and over again, literally for years. If there is ever a real and significant fire in a high rise building in Panama City, a whole lot of people are going to die. The very short answer is that to date, Panama has been very, very lucky. Consider the following that was submitted to this website as a comment to the earlier article posted about the fire at the Global Bank building on Calle 50, from a person who works in the building;

• Fire alarm never sounded during the accident, so far there still could be people in the building. We saw a bunch of smoke going up and started to worry about what is going on, then I got a phone call from coworker (that the same moment was in the basement parking her car) saying that there is fire and everybody is evacuating. We went out to go down by emergency stairs but they was really full, people was like sardines in can and didn't move staying in the dark as there is NO emergency light, so we had to wait to enter stairs, however there was building workers with spotlights that was controlling situation and helping everybody to leave the building. If there would be a panic it is very probable that there would be fatalities. After exiting we saw bunch of smoke going out and police already started to close Calle 50, fire truck took about 20 minutes to arrive (looks like was stuck in the traffic), than came various ambulances attending people with panic attack.

Fire Alarm Never Sounded: Why not? Does it work? Has it been tested? If people who work for the building were trying to direct traffic on the stairwells, how come no one ever manually activated the fire alarm system? The only plausible answer is that apparently, the fire alarm does not work.

"There Could Still Be People In The Building" Could be. The fire department should have immediately dispatched teams to scour the building to make sure everyone had gotten out. Think they did that? No...

Dark Stairs: No emergency lighting in the stairway. That's it - if my father the retired Fire Chief was in charge of this scene I suspect he would have IMMEDIATELY condemned this building, and declared it unsafe for human inhabitation until all code violations are corrected. In other words, go home, because it is now illegal to reenter that building until the Fire Inspector declares it safe to return. No lights in the stairway, no working alarm system, that's enough to condemn the building.

Locked Doors in Stairways: I saw an interview with the building administrator on television during the event, and she tried to explain how it's standard procedure to have the fire doors locked from the stairway side. In other words, you can go through the door to access the stairwell, but once you are in the stairway column you are basically locked in and you can't open the doors to go back out of the stairwell and back onto a lower (or higher) floor. This is absolutely the wrong answer. In fact, this practice should be criminal. When trying to evacuate a high rise building in a fire, the trick is to get below the fire floor and then exit to the ground. If you are caught above the fire floor, then you might have to clime to a higher floor to escape the smoke and flames. In any case, you don't want the doors to the stairwell to be a "one way" ticket, maybe to your death. Really, really bad call. By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com -   

The iconic Global Bank Building, located on Calle 50 in downtown Panama City, was evacuated this morning when fire alarms activated. The Fire Department of Panama informed La Prensa that fire trucks arrived on scene. According to preliminary information, some transformers exploded in the building causing a lot of smoke. Traffic affected: Meanwhile, on Calle 50 vehicular traffic has been affected because traffic officers from the Ground Transit and Transportation Authority had to close the street. In fact, drivers reported to La Prensa that police officers are redirecting traffic through adjacent streets so that firefighters can do their jobs. (La Prensa)   

A fire broke out this morning in building number PH 66 on Central Ave. in Panama City. There are no reports of deaths or injuries, only property damage. RPC Radio reported the fire started in an apartment located on the second floor of the building. Authorities evacuated all residents of the building as a precaution. The fire department and the National Civil Protection System have responded to the scene. (La Prensa)    

The Minister of Government and Justice, Jose Raul Mulino, announced that tomorrow they will begin the structuring of a new Preventive Security Cabinet composed of several government institutions. Mulino, who will preside over the new cabinet, said their key task will be to prevent "for today, and tomorrow, to ensure we are not experiencing the vicissitudes of a country that is more insecure." He explained that the Ministries of Health, Education, and Social Development as well as the Panamanian Institute of Sports will form the cabinet. Mulino said we must avoid that "the youth in younger age ranges are not targeted for recruitment by gangs linked to drug trafficking, or terrorist groups who see them as cannon fodder for their activities inside and outside of our Republic." In addition, he said they seek to prevent violence with sports, enhance education and to provide public health in those remote communities such as Darien. On another topic, the Minister said that in the coming days they will begin to operate the 24 scanners installed at different locations around the county capable of inspecting cargo containers. The Ministry will also restructure the police checkpoints that have been abandoned. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Sports and flu shots? How about martial law. The government is not prepared, equipped, or manned to deal with the problems they face on a daily basis. There might be as many as 1,000 murders in Panama in 2010, up from less than 400 just four years ago. By any standard that's an explosion of violence. The government is not responsible for the increase in violence - drug traffickers are. One fact of the matter is - a less corrupt Panamanian government will see more drug related violence, because earlier more corrupt governments and government officials could be bought off to look the other way, misdirect assets and resources, let things slide by or what have you. The drug traffickers generally kill people when their shipments get busted or when they get ripped off by other drug traffickers. If the drug traffickers are ramping up their energy, then the government has to respond in kind. The drug traffickers generally have the initiative - they can make a decision today and act tomorrow. Governments, by their very nature, are generally slow to react and therefore they spend most of their time either on defense or in trail mode, following around the trail of dead bodies and picking up the remains. In order to have a real impact the government will have to seize the initiative and take it back from the bad guys. Colombia lost the initiative in the mid 90's, and the low water mark was the attack against Las Delicias in 1995. They embarked on a strategic plan to regain the initiative, and as a result many of the problems Colombia had have since moved here. Now, Panama will be forced to seize the initiative as well, because if they don't they will continue to pay the price. Mexico has never had the initiative as far as I can tell. In order to deal with this kind of stuff you need a lot of money and a sound strategic plan. The new outposts are a good step in the right direction, but there are many things Panama could do today that would help. Like, to require visas for all Mexicans and Colombians, no matter what. Then, at the very least you would know who is here.    

A short circuit in some underground electrical cables caused alarm when smoke began pouring out of manhole covers in Calidonia. The situation occurred in front of the Pedro J. Sosa school, prompting firemen to evacuate students and faculty from the facility to keep anyone from being harmed. Workers from nearby commercial spaces were also evacuated. The electrical company rushed personnel to the scene because underground electrical cables were the source of the fire. When they removed the manhole covers a lot of smoke came pouring out. The incident caused a major traffic jam because firefighters closed the bust road to avoid serious consequences. (Telemetro Reporta)   

Six years after the last convict left the island of Coiba, this jewel of nature - considered to be part of the World Heritage by UNESCO - could again become a penal colony. The "most dangerous, incorrigible, and problematic" of the prison population would be isolated from the other inmates in a "High Security Center" to be located on the island. The plans were announced by the Director of the Penitentiary System, Diomedes Kaa, at a forum on prison affairs organized by the National Bar Association. "The Coiba National Park is World Heritage of Humanity and the government now seeks to recover these lands," said Kaa. According to the official, more than 200 inmates classified as highly dangerous would be confined to the island. "We are dealing with dangerous criminals who have national and international influences," he said. Also on Coiba will be installed one of the eleven Naval Air Stations the government plans to build to protect the coast of Panama. Kaa's announcement surprised people both inside and outside of the government. The Ministry of Government and Justice attempted to minimize the scope of Kaa plans, saying it is an "intention" and not a "firm project." "Kaa said that inside of the concept of a possibility, because it has been looked at," said Abraham Williams, a legal advisor to the Ministry, which has among its units, specifically, the General Directorate of Prisons. The Administrator of the National Environmental Authority (ANAM), Javier Arias, was also unaware of Kaa's plans. Just yesterday there was the monthly meeting of the Board of Coiba National Park and none of its members were aware of kaa's plans, who incidentally did not attend that meeting. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Coiba is a big island. The national park is huge. If the National Government wants to use the island to house high risk prisoners again, fine. However it might make sense to take a step back and look at the big picture for a minute. What do you gain by putting high risk prisoners on an island? Supposedly, the idea is that it makes it harder for them to escape, or if they manage to get out of their cell and the prison facility itself, then they are trapped on the island, right? That's a concept straight out of 1850. Today it's perfectly possible to design and build a High Security prison which can literally be placed in the middle of any community. It can be designed with so many redundant and backup security measures - physical, electronic, human - so as to make them "virtually" escape-proof. Of course, nothing is perfect but you get what I mean. Why incur the additional expense of having to transport all of your logistics to a remote island, which practically doubles both your building and operating costs, when you can achieve even better results on the mainland? It makes no sense at all to do this from a purely economical point of view. Oh yeah, the environment, save the seals and all that crap as well. Housing 200 inmates on an island would have a minimal impact on the environment, and that's a red herring anyway. This plan makes no sense from a business point of view.   

The rate of fatal accidents in Panama is higher than in the rest of Latin America and those of developed countries, according to statistics from the International Labor Organization as described on the Channel 2 TVN morning news by Jose Espino, of the Council for Occupational Safety and Health, who attributed this situation to a lack of a state policy on the matter. Espino said there are many institutions with departments of job security, but nobody does anything. Espino also questioned the announcement of MITRADEL to increase its force of inspectors with 300 new officers, saying that in Panama there are not 300 people who are qualified to do the job of professional inspection. It takes four years of college to earn the proper degree, or two years or preparation for a technician, and these newly trained people won't have the training or experience necessary to handle a job as large as the construction of the new subway system, for example. The Board of Occupational Safety and Health is a nongovernmental organization that is preparing an agenda on this material to be presented on 28 April 2010, on Occupational Safety Day. (TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: And why do more people die in the workplace in Panama than in most other countries? Because there are lax standards, those lax standards are rarely enforced, and when there is an accident almost no one is ever truly held accountable. The workers take unnecessary risks, the employers hire and promote workers who are willing to take those risks in order to get the work done as quickly and cheaply as possible, and the government almost never steps in to do anything, except to scoop up the bodies when some dude goes "splat." Then it's all tears and crying. It comes down to the same thing it always does - a deeply ingrained attitude of systemic corruption. An inspector shows up at a job site and they get paid to go away without writing any fines. Job sites are only shut down after there is an accident. If they wanted to do this right, they would create "flash teams" of inspectors from the offices of the Municipal Engineering, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Health, and the Public Ministry. Each organization should designate a dozen or so people to go on these inspections, but they never know who is going to be tagged to actually go or when (random). Then, on the day of an inspection, a team is quickly assembled and deployed to inspect a site. With about a dozen eyeballs from many different organizations all there at the same time, it's harder to buy someone off to make it go away. And what should they inspect? All of them. All the time. It's simple - do the inspections, write the fines, enforce the law, safety goes up, less people die. Repeat offenders should get fines that double, triple, or quadruple - to the point of having their licenses revoked. Maybe someday.   

A fire broke out today in the warehouse of the Multitek company of the Colon Free Zone, causing alarm among the commercial sector. Members of the Panama Fire Department rushed to the scene, however their efforts were hampered by low water pressure and heavy smoke accumulated inside of the warehouse. The warehouse contained electronic communications equipment worth millions of dollars. This facility is near the Abel Bravo school and a luxury hotel in the province of Colon. (Telemetro)    

CRIME & SAFETY - Americas - Panama - 22 Mar 2010 - Panama remains relatively safe compared to other Central American countries. However, 2009 statistics show a steady increase in crime from last year in nearly all categories. Panama province has a higher crime rate than all the other Panamanian provinces in the numbers of crimes, followed by Colon. Panama topped 800 murders last year. The majority of homicides committed in Panama are committed with the use of firearms. The use of military-style weapons, such as AK-47s or M-4s, by criminal gangs is increasing. Local media reports noted 29 instances where these weapons were used in a crime during 2009. The rise in the number of gangs and drug traffickers follow a parallel upward trend. These two factors are responsible for the rising violent crime rate. Currently, there are a multitude of individual gangs; however, there have been few indicators that the gangs are cooperating or that there is an acknowledged hierarchy within them. On the other hand, there have been reports that elements of Central American gangs, including Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13), are operating near the western border of the country. U.S. Embassy Panama City and Panama government officials are concerned about the possibility that Mexican drug trafficking organizations will develop here, which would likely usher in established command structures and the use of graphic violence to solidify territory, as well as to aggressively protect their markets from rivals and the police. It is predicted that if this type of gang consolidation occurs in Panama, the number of homicides will likely increase and it may be difficult for Panama’s law enforcement to control such violence. (more)   Click Here To Read The Full Article (1,462 words)