Álvaro Covarrubias, Domingo Santa María and Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna were also members of the board.

His major achievement as a member of that board was the construction and development of evening schools for the education of workers, in which he also served as a teacher and inspector.

In 1865, during the Chincha Islands War, he moved to Valparaíso to serve as a volunteer firefighter for the city, living there for the rest of his life.

Despite his moderate political participation, he supported the Liberal candidatures of Domingo Santa María, José Tomás Urmeneta and Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna.

[2] The former Camino de Los Hornillos, in the northern part of Santiago, was renamed as the Avenida Fermín Vivaceta.