Palm Beach State College's Fire Academy Makes an Impact Beyond the Local Community

Training at Palm Beach State College’s Fire Academy helped a Chilean firefighter rescue an elderly woman trapped inside a burning home—an example of the College’s impact reaching far beyond South Florida.

Freddy Riquelme Moreno, captain of the First Company of Firefighters of Collipulli, Chile, was off duty and driving to an event with his daughter when he spotted heavy smoke rising from a nearby home. At the scene, neighbors told him that a woman was still inside and that they had been unable to reach her.

Riquelme Moreno retrieved protective gear from his vehicle and assessed how to enter the home as he heard knocking from inside. Realizing he had no other way to enter the residence, he borrowed an axe from a neighbor and broke through the lower portion of the door. 

Once inside, he located the resident and guided her to safety. The woman later said she believed she survived because of Riquelme Moreno's timing and quick action.

Riquelme Moreno credits the training he received at PBSC with preparing him to act decisively in a life-threatening emergency. 

“The international training we do here is very important,” said Mark Siciliano, interim fire academy director at PBSC. “The National Fire Academy in Chile is not easy to go to, even that’s limited. The leaders of that academy have also come here to train.”

Riquelme Moreno completed training at PBSC in 2018 and returned in 2025 and 2026 to participate in PBSC’s Invitational Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) competition. The multi-day event tests public safety agencies from around the world in simulated rescue scenarios, including locating and freeing a “downed” team member in low-visibility, high-pressure conditions.

“That’s what the fire service is all about in a way; very few of us are creators of something, we just pass it on,” said Siciliano. “We’re lifelong students of the fire service, so were always teaching each other.”

The College offers a range of degrees, certifications, and training programs for fire professionals looking to expand their skillset, like an Associate in Science degree in Fire Science Technology and advanced technical rescue certifications.

For more information on PBSC's Fire Academy and public safety programs, visit the Public Safety pathway.