38 graduate from Online Firefighter Recruit Academy
COLLEGE STATION — Thirty-eight new firefighters graduated from the 16th Online Firefighter Recruit Academy on Aug. 21. They completed 335 hours of training online before traveling to College Station for an intensive 21-day, 210-hour, hands-on firefighting “boot camp” at Brayton Fire Training Field.
The graduates came from Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, Bermuda, Texas, Kentucky and California. Chief Reginald L. Burchall of the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at Texas A&M University.
“It was an honor to have Chief Burchall as the keynote speaker from Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service,” said Training Manager Jason Loyd of the TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute. “The bond among firefighters knows no borders, and we look forward to training more personnel from Bermuda Fire and Rescue in the future.”
The academy prepares entry-level firefighters to earn the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and ProBoard certifications for Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness and HazMat Operations.
The TEEX Academy meets or exceeds the requirements in most states and countries for preparation and/or certification of municipal firefighters. The Online Firefighter Recruit Academy has trained more than 500 certifiable firefighters since the first class was held in 2011.
The program is eligible for college credit through the Fire Science Technology degree program at Blinn College and the Fire and Emergency Services Administration degree program at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Learn more about the blended learning and traditional Firefighter Academy at http://www.teex.org/fireacademy