José Ayala, director of the Preparedness Area at Puerto Rico's Negociado de Manejo de Emergencias y Administración de Desastres (NMEAD), told Primera Hora that community response is essential in emergencies, citing that 50% of disaster victims are rescued by neighbors, friends or family rather than professionals. He referenced the recent earthquakes in Venezuela that buried thousands under collapsed buildings as an example of why citizen training matters. Public safety agencies have intensified efforts, projecting that about 5,000 volunteers will be trained in rescue techniques by the end of the year.
Ayala acknowledged that Puerto Rico would still need international assistance in a large-scale emergency, saying "we're going to need help." He spoke alongside Lieutenant Joel Figueroa, who heads the Homeland Security and Wildland Fire division of the Negociado de Bomberos. Both explained that a rescatista (rescuer) is a trained person qualified to safeguard life or property—freeing trapped or lost individuals, or providing specialized access for medical personnel. Figueroa described training that covers detecting, locating, extracting, stabilizing, freeing and transporting victims.
Rescuer levels vary, ranging from municipal Emergency Management volunteers and municipal workers to specialized community groups, company-required trainees, and government officials whose main role is rescue work, primarily within NMEAD and Bomberos.