25th Spring Fire School sets new record for attendance

COLLEGE STATION – The TEEX Spring Fire Training School set a new attendance record last week as it celebrated its 25th anniversary. The annual school drew 410 firefighters and emergency responders to the Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station, exceeding last year’s record of 387.

Students came from 12 states across the U.S. as well as Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan for a week of training. TEEX instructors and staff were assisted by 49 guest instructors and safety personnel, who donated their time and expertise to the school.

Participants could attend a course in one of the firefighting specializations, such as airport firefighting, as well as trench rescue, emergency medical response, incident command, fire officer, fire investigator, propane emergencies and hazardous materials. Many of the courses provided hands-on evolutions on one of the 23 burn projects or 100 other training stations at Brayton Fire Training Field.

“As well as being the largest Spring School in its 25-year history, without a doubt it was the smoothest overall operation for its size,” said Harvie Cheshire, Annual Fire Schools Program Manager for TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute. “My sincere thanks goes to everyone involved for making this the very best Spring School on its Silver Anniversary.”

The Spring Fire School, which was held March 3-8, is the first of the 2013 Fire Training Schools, which include the La Escuela para Bomberos (Spanish Fire Training School), Industrial Fire Training School and Municipal Fire Training School. The summer schools attract more than 4,000 firefighters to Brayton Fire Training Field during July.

About Brayton Fire Training Field, College Station, Texas

Brayton Fire Training Field is one of the world’s largest live-fire training facilities and includes some of the largest and most realistic fire training props anywhere. Students can receive hands-on training on a loading terminal, process unit, chemical complex, aerial cooler, aircraft, ship, and more. Rescue props include those designed for confined space and high-angle rescue, as well as towers and even a passenger train. Hazardous materials training projects include a hazmat chemical complex, tanker cars, and 2,300-foot underground pipeline training prop with eight above-ground training stations.