SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — As part of the State Partnership Program, the Puerto Rico National Guard hosted visitors from the Republic of Honduras and the Dominican Republic on May 3.
The visit occurred at the Puerto Rico National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility in Isla.
Members of the Dominican Republic's Emergency Operations Center, Humanitarian and Rescue Unit, Dominican Republic Air Force and Civil Defense representatives alongside their counterparts from the Republic of Honduras joined to share knowledge and best practices with the PRARNG aviation section in topics such as: high-speed hoist and extraction tactics, procedures in varying types of terrain and environments, as well as combating forest fires.
The State Army Aviation Officer, Col. Jorge Galoffin and the AASF Senior Aviation Sergeant Major, Sgt. Maj. Carlos Salcedo, briefed the participants on the roles, capabilities and experiences of the PRARNG aviation section in emergency situations and the use of specialized equipment such as the helicopter bucket used in firefighting operations.
"The State Partnership Program has become an important tool to foster good international relationships with friendly countries, especially those countries with which we share a similar cultural history," said the adjutant general of Puerto Rico, Brig. Gen. Isabelo Rivera. Honduras and Dominican Republic have been extraordinary partners in this program, and we look forward to keeping this partnership growing for many more years."
After the initial briefings, the visitors moved to the AASF maintenance hangar where they had the chance to take a closer look at the Bambi Bucket" system and ask questions pertaining to its use and effectiveness in fighting forest fires.
The SPP has been building relationships among participant countries for over 20 years. It evolved from a US European Command Joint Contact Team Program conducted in the Baltic Region in 1991.
Today the SPP covers many countries around the world and is administered by the National Guard Bureau. All 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia have at least one of the 73 SPP partnerships involving 79 nations worldwide. Puerto Rico has been a partner with Honduras since 1998 and with Dominican Republic since 2003.