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Our team at CHES/IEMES is OK! (Thanks to all who have reached out.) As you may already know, Hurricane Fiona brought relentless amounts of water and wind to the archipelago of Puerto Rico. Each member of our team has been accounted for and have been blessed with minimal damage, if any, to our properties. Today, Tuesday, September 20th, 2022, we are all in the process of reaching out to our recurring clients/vendors and contemplating ways in which they all need our assistance. Already re-scheduling trainings yet scheduling necessary inspections or aid, if so necessary. Our team is also involved in the Risk, Emergency, and Disaster Management Commission (CMRED, in Spanish) of the Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyor (CIAPR, in Spanish), through which we will be coordinating aid events and efforts. The administration at CHES/IEMES is providing time, resources, and assistance to our team for assuring business continuity as well as opportunities for integration of such response or recovery efforts.
Refer to a copy of the waiver on the images above on the right. Any questions or need of assistance regarding such waiver, do not hesitate to contact any member of our team.
CHESIEMES Team at ExpoConvención CIAPR 2022 - Fernando as Distinguished Colleague (Carolina Chapter)8/15/2022
This past weekend our team was able to enjoy the networking opportunities and required duties as leaders of some of the Institutes and Chapters within the Puerto Rico Professional College of Engineers and Surveyors (CIAPR, in Spanish).
Professional forums were on all of our team member's calendar las Friday, August 12th. From moderating sessions such as Climate Change and Services and Technological Applications, Hanna and Auri were able to show their support to continuing education regardless of profession or discipline.  Stephanie, Carmen, and Fernando joined Norma I. Torres, another great colleague who's part of the office team's history, at the Occupational Health and Safety module. Revisiting known concepts such as silica sampling and compliance, among other topics, our team was able to also enjoy networking and meeting up with respected colleagues.  What our team has been up to these passed months? Several months have passed since an update was provided on our Team. Needless to say, we have been busy! We have been immersed in projects galore! Thanks to our clients, our team has been gaining and strengthening their expertise in permitting, design projects, operational, and compliance tasks. Extending our services passed our primary jurisdiction, Puerto Rico, we have been involved in international projects and project to continue expanding in 2022. Our certified and licensed engineers have continued their involvement in professional organizations such as the Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR, in Spanish) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). Our administration is proud to announce that Ms. Stephanie Hall Laureano, EIT has assumed the position of Treasurer of the Chemical Engineers Institute (IIQ, in Spanish). Ms. Carmen Figueroa Santiago, PE continues her work with IIQ as well as the Humacao Chapter, while also leading the Risks, Emergency, and Emergency Management Commission (CMRED, in Spanish) of CIAPR. Being involved in initiatives focused on leading more resilient lives and sharing knowledge with our community, our employees were involved in setting forth as well as participating in CMRED's first hybrid Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Course. We invite you to view photos by following this link. Furthermore, Ms. Hanna Rodríguez Morales, PE, SC and Mr. Fernando L. Rodríguez Ocasio, PE, SC continue their involvment in leading the SWANA Caribbean-PR Chapter. Participation at WASTECON 2021, corresponding board meetings, as well as leading the organization and teaching the Chapter´s first Waste Screening Course in Spanish taught in San Juan, Puerto Rico. More details provided here: www.swanacaribbean.com/chapter/certifications.  Join us in supporting local businesses this holiday season as we will in taking the liberty of promoting Bravada Vodka, distilled locally at an urban microdistillery. Learn more about them at https://www.bravadavodka.com/home, follow them on social media, and share your recipes! Learn about them by following this link. Here is a recipe from our team:  We look forward to a fruitful month and closure of 2021 and will soon publish details on office closure dates during this season.
Last December 2019 Environmental Engineers Institute, at the time led by Eng. Lorenzo Iglesias, decided to honor our President and Founder, Eng. Fernando L. Rodríguez Ocasio with the Distinguished Colleague Award for the term 2019-2021 for the excellent work at the service of our profession, professionals, the Institute, and other components of CIAPR. Our team is overly joyed to celebrate this with honor. It is an enormous honor to have him as leader and mentor. We were able to celebrate last Saturday, August 7, 2021 at the Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR, in Spanish).  As we continue to celebrate Eng. Stephanie Hall´s accomplishments (refer to previous post if necessary), our team´s excitement evolve as she has been elected Director on the 2021-2022 Board of the Chemical Engineers Institute (IIQ, in Spanish) at the Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR, in Spanish). As has been experienced by current and past professionals that have been part of our firms´ teams, these recognitions are merely the beginning of challenging but important portion of our professional development and contribution to our island, profession, and professional discipline. The administration at CHESIEMES is excited and has made itself available to support Eng. Hall in this endeavor.
Similarly, we announce the continuation of Eng. Carmen M. Figueroa Santiago´s involvement as Director and Treasurer of the 2021-2022 Board of the Chemical Engineers Institute (IIQ) and the Humacao Chapter of CIAPR. She has worked tirelessly and led, as President, both components for years now and our team continues to honor and praise her commitment. Eng. Figueroa is finalizing her year as President of the Risk, Emergency, and Disaster Management Commission (CMRED) of CIAPR as well and looks forward to continue working on those important topics along with co-worker Eng. Hanna Rodríguez Morales. Further, Eng. H. Rodríguez was re-elected as President of the 2021-2022 Board of the Environmental Engineers Institute (IIAM, in Spanish) of CIAPR. IIAM´s Board of Directors accomplished important milestones, summarized on an online report accessed via the following link. Now, as we approach the final portion of the Summer months, we are excited to announce the accomplishments of our student interns, including the upcoming graduation event of Ms. Monserrat González Garro, who has been with our team for almost two (2) years. Her completion of her Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico will put her one step closer to shaping her professional standing in the field. There are several months left before Ms. Estefanía Álvarez Pérez´s graduation but do acknowledge her development within our technical team. She has adjusted from a student intern focused solely focused on improving our Accredited Asbestos School course modules and content to a regular Environmental Engineering Student intern, joining Ms. González, in assisting our team of engineers in diverse tasks. These accomplishments were met with an exciting DesignThinking-IDEAEngineering Workshop created for our team by SeriouslyCreative. It was a challenging and perspective-changing day for each member of our team. Just in time to welcome several important projects coming up in this second half of 2021. We appreciate the team at SeriouslyCreative for their input and tips; we are excited to put into practice those helpful tools! Exciting accomplishments that are more than noteworthy from our team; we summarize some in this post. Adjustments to our workload and protocols have been implemented as Puerto Rico is nearing a phase of the pandemic every territory should strive for: herd immunization (70%+ vaccination of its population). By acknowledging this reduction in risk, the administration at our firm has been able to loosen its protocols and become more comfortable with providing on-site services. The fact that members of our team were involved in massive vaccination events and efforts, led by leaders of components of the Pofessional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR, in Spanish) and VOCES, makes us very proud. Their continuous commitment shows the empathetic side of each member and their respect towards their community. In other thrilling news, our very own Stephanie Hall Laureano worked hard these past months and was able to accomplish Engineer in Training (EIT) status and become correspondingly registered at the local Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR, in Spanish). This is as exciting to us as team leaders as it is for her and her family and look forward to continuing being a part of her professional development. It is an honor to have her on our team and be involved in her growth as a respectable professional. ¡Enhorabuena, Ing. Steph, EIT; pa´lante!
A quick update from our wonderful team on this International Women's Day. After challenging times that delayed the experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Stephanie Hall received a passing grade on her Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam. She is in the process of formally registering as an Engineer in Training (EIT) at Puerto Rico's State Department and registering as a certified member of the Puerto Rico College of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (CIAPR, in Spanish). Additionally, she is currently strengthening her knowledge in Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) by taking an advanced course on the matter. We are very proud of her  g. Carmen Figueroa shared her experiences of becoming and growth in her career (left). We are more than proud of her for this and all other recognitions she has received in the past months. Ms. Aurimar Rodríguez has broadened her knowledge towards achieving her Navigation License from the Marine Education Division of PR's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). Each member of our renowned team provides support in a very special way. We will continue to promote professional and personal growth to every member of our team and beyond. [A quick shoutout to Ms. Natalie Giró and Ms. Thaís Encarnación who also recently passed the FE Exam and Water Treatment License Exam correspondingly. They have both had the opportunity to be part of our team formally or informally in past years.] From and administrative perspective, we will continue to work towards recognition as a Women Owned Business (WOB). We encourage all to support and motivate teammates and promote purpose throughout your career.  Recently approved changes to Puerto Rico's Joint Permits Regulation extend the acknowledgement of the need to integrate government approvals such as operational permits. Our team has had the opportunity to keep up-to-date with requirements for a diversity of operations such as low and high traffic volume offices, telecommunications facilities, commercial facilities, and industrial facilities such as the first urban micro-distillery in Puerto Rico!
As required by such Regulation, "new or existing building, with non-residential uses, will obtain the Single Permit ("Permiso Único-PU") to start or continue its operations". Such permit would be granted for:
Each activity or operation requires a diversity of approvals, which our team would most gladly assist you in identifying. Alternative optional licenses or certifications now included within this Single Permit (PU) are:
As consultants, we are able to assist you in identifying regulatory requirements for your facility for a compliant beginning or continuation of operations. |
AuthorsFernando L. Rodríguez, PE, SC Archives
September 2022
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