International Divisional Vice President

	A Message from Martin. I take great pride and joy as the International Divisional Vice President of the National Association Firefighters. I enjoy working towards a common goal that will benefit our members and communities across the world. Martin Salamanca

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Lieutenant Martin A. Salamanca is a native of Panama and resided in the town of Paraiso on the former Canal Zone. He is the son of Don Pablo Salamanca Ardines aka El Gran Sala (deceased) and Elvia Maria Reina viuda de Salamanca. Lieutenant Salamanca has a tremendous admiration for his father who after forty years of service with the Panama Canal Commission as a “Locks Bossing” continued his to service the community beyond retirement.

El Gran Sala, became the head of the Lions Club of Paraíso, Leader of the Association for Senior Citizens, and subsequently rose to Representative for the town of Ancon. His mother, is a retired employee from AAFES military shopettes, and currently resides in the City of Panama.

His siblings are Pablo, Idalia Natividad and David. He is the proud dad of two beautiful children: Isabel and Anthony.

Lieutenant Salamanca is a graduate of Balboa High School Class of 1982. Upon graduation, he Attn:ded Panama Canal College where he pursued a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. In 1984 he started is employment with Panama Canal Commission as a Recreation Assistant.

His duties encompassed serving as Professional Lifeguard, and an Instructor in water safety, CPR, and first aid. In 1988, he became a Fire Fighter for the Panama Canal Commission. In 1994, he was promoted to Fire Officer and served as Fire Office School Faculty Member, Member of the Hazmat and High Angle Rescue Team, and Adjunct Faculty for the Fire Technology Program. Lieutenant Salamanca was also the recipient of the Superior Performance Certificate from the Panama Canal Commission.

In 1998, Lieutenant Salamanca traveled to the U.S. to advance his career. He worked at United Water for two years as a Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2000, he transitioned back to his passion in fire safety and became a Fire Fighter for Fulton County Fire Department.

During his tenure at Fulton County Fire Department he served in the following capacities: On-call/Shift Fire Investigator, Public Fire Preventions Inspector, HazMat 1st Responder and Containment Specialist, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Instructor, Public Fire Education/Safety Instructor (NPQ), Fire Ventilation Operations Specialist, Member of Dive Team and Color/Honor Guard. He currently serves in the capacity Fire Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Salamanca in the Sea of Blue
Honor Guard for Fulton County Fire Department

Lieutenant Salamanca also holds the following certification with Georgia State Board of Fire Service: Hazardous Materials 1st Responder, Fire Inspector I, Incident Management Specialist, Arson Investigator Level I, NPQ Fire Instructor I. He has completed several courses toward achieving Georgia State Fire Marshall Certification. He also holds a Translation Certificate from Georgia State University.

In 2006, Lieutenant Salamanca joined the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters (NAHF) and it is noteworthy to mention that he was recently appointed to serve as Eastern Region Vice President of NAHF. It gives him great privilege to be part of this organization which makes emphasis on equal opportunity to every citizen and also to its Public Safety Officers. As a member of this organization he has enhanced his knowledge on working together with other organizations to fulfill one goal towards the community which is to serve the public to the best of their ability.

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