helping public and private authorities improve life safety
June 26, 2020 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has appointed a new international development director for Latin American to champion government responsibility, fire and life safety infrastructure, code compliance, emergency response strategies, public education, and trade skills development in approximately 20 countries. Effective July 1, Jaime Gutiérrez will work to further NFPA’s impact in the region by assessing local safety concerns, cultivating strong alliances, implementing new strategies with existing and new stakeholders, introducing safety programs in Spanish, and representing NFPA in local regulatory, legislative and technical circles.
Gutiérrez will continue to build on the solid foundation built by well-known NFPA representative Antonio Macias who retired after 20 years of representing NFPA in Latin America. For nearly 125 years, NFPA has worked to ensure that people and property around the globe are protected from harm; the organization has had a presence in Latin America for more than 40 years. With more than two decades of experience working in national planning, real estate administration, and resource management for private businesses and the government, Gutiérrez is well-suited to advance NFPA’s mission of eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards in Latin American countries.
Over the years, Gutiérrez has organized global goodwill programs; supervised fire safety policies; managed hundreds of government properties in different countries; lead construction strategy, including security and protection programs, for nearly 30 hospitals and health clinics as well as the administration of a hospital network of more than 1347 properties; interacted with a wide range of constituents for the Attorney General’s office; advised the CEO of Bancomext on the internationalization of Mexican companies; and oversaw construction cost management for the World Trade Center Mexico City Exhibition Center, as well as the remodeling of the Marriott Airport and Marriott Polanco hotels. His last position in government was Prospera's National Coordinator, one of the most successful and globally recognized programs in the fight against poverty, where he managed and implemented civil protection measures for beneficiaries.
“Jaime Gutiérrez has the skill set, qualifications and demeanor to collaborate with a broad range of professionals and navigate the ever-changing political, social and business conditions of Latin America,” said Jim Pauley, NFPA president and CEO. “NFPA has worked hard to solidify safety in Latin America through proactive, collaborative safety-focused outreach, initiatives and training. Jaime will build on that history and drive home the point that safety is a system that we all play a role in - as outlined by the NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem.”
The NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem™ is a framework that identifies the components that must work together to minimize risk. There are eight interdependent components; when they work together, the Ecosystem protects everyone. If any component is missing or broken, the Ecosystem can collapse, often resulting in tragedy. Almost always we can trace the cause of injurious life safety incidents and tragedies back to the breakdown of one or more components of the Ecosystem.
Gutiérrez, a native and resident of Mexico City, holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), a bachelor’s degree in political science from Political and Social Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and a master’s degree in public management from Guanajuato University
Please contact publicaffairs@nfpa.org for a photo. This release is also available in Spanish. For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.
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About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.