03/03/2026
Mapfre Global Risks recently held its popular firefighting competition in Latin America for the first time, in Chile, with the 10 participating fire brigades meeting at the National Firefighter Academy, where four tough tests were conducted that culminated in three winners in each.
On Monday, March 2, the first edition of the firefighting competitions took place at the National Firefighters Academy, an ideal venue to celebrate this milestone, and an event that Bosco Francoy didn’t want to miss, given that it marks the beginning of the Mapfre Global Risks International Workshops, which in 2026 celebrates 30 editions and will be held in Cáceres (Spain) from May 27 to May 29.
These competitions began in 1969 and are aimed at reducing the occurrence and severity of incidents through advanced operational training of firefighting teams. This initiative, led by the Engineering area of Mapfre Global Risks, was a great opportunity for client companies in Chile, as they were able to practice and demonstrate their teamwork skills, knowledge, and abilities.
On this occasion, 36 firefighting volunteers from 10 recognized companies registered and participated: Oxiquim, Sigdo Koppers, SQM (Salar SpA), GasValpo, ENAP Refinery, LNG Quintero, Colbún, and CMPC.
A challenging scenario
Industrial fires can originate from power failures, working with heat, flammable substance leaks, or overheating machinery. Having trained protection squads on hand is essential in order to protect people, safeguard critical infrastructure, and ensure the continuity of production processes.
Four tests with real flames were designed across highly complex industrial scenarios, differentiating between physical safety officers (those who work exclusively in the area of physical safety) and health and safety officers (those who don’t work exclusively in the area of physical safety).
The tests comprised:
For physical safety officers
- Stress test: circuit of different physical tests that include wearing autonomous breathing equipment. (Two participants.)
- Hose fire extinction in an industrial simulation: consists of extinguishing a hydrocarbon fire on the first floor of a facility that has suffered an LPG valve cut using a water hose. (Three participants.)
For health and safety officers
- Fire extinction on a parapet with extinguishers: consists of extinguishing a hydrocarbon fire on a parapet with two 5-kilo powder extinguishers. (Two participants.)
- Hose handling in a multi-level simulator: consists of climbing two flights of stairs with the hose (dry setup), where there is a target that must be knocked down with the water stream from the hose. (Three participants.)
In line with the competition rules, a whistle is used to sound the start and end of the tests, which are rigorously timed. For classification purposes, the definitive time is taken as the result of the average times recorded by the two chronometers that present the least relative deviations between them.
After successfully conducting all the tests, the lowest times recorded determined the winners.
Stress test:
🥇ENAP BIO BIO REFINERY
🥈COLBUN-BRYSA
🥉GNL-QUINTERO
Hose fire extinction in an industrial simulation:
🥇COLUMBIN-BRYSA
🥈GASVALPO
🥉PORT WINDOWS
Fire extinction on a parapet with extinguishers:
🥇GNL-QUINTERO
🥈ENAP ACONCAGUA
🥉COLBUN-BRYSA
Hose handling in multi-level simulations
🥇GNL-QUINTERO
🥈ENAP BIO BIO REFINERY
🥉COLBUN-BRYSA
Congratulations to all the participants and, especially, to the winners!
