MEDIA ADVISORY: Spanish-speaking firefighters worldwide come to Texas

WHAT:

42nd Annual Spanish Fire Training School

WHEN:

July 7-11 — The best day for coverage of firefighting activities is Wednesday, although we will work to meet your needs throughout the week.

WHERE:

College Station— TEEX’s Brayton Fire Training Field.

MEDIA:

We will have a translator available to assist with any student or instructor interviews you desire. Please let us know ahead of time if you plan to cover the event so we may be prepared to fully meet your needs. FYI: Closed-toe shoes and long pants are required at the fire field.

In addition,members of the media covering the fire school will be allowed to don real firefighting bunker gear and battle a fire with real firefighters! Please make prior arrangements to take advantage of this opportunity.

WHO:

Nearly 600 Spanish-speaking firefighters from more than a dozen countries are expected to attend. The Spanish School is conducted by the Texas Engineering Extension Service, or TEEX, a member of The Texas A&M University System. More than 200 volunteer instructors will provide the training entirely in Spanish.

The firefighters travel to College Station from as far away as South America and Europe and range from basic volunteer responders to experienced, career firefighters. While many of the participants are being sent to the school by their employers, others rely only on their personal savings and dedication to journey to the world-renowned, one-of-a-kind school.

BACKGROUND:

Classes during the Spanish School range from basic firefighting operations to officer development and include not only firefighting, but rescue and hazardous materials response. All training takes place at the Brayton Fire Training Field, recognized as the largest live-fire, fueled training facility with more than 100 specific training stations.

TEEX is recognized as the world’s premier emergency services training institute, training more than 80,000 firefighters and emergency responders from throughout Texas, all 50 states and more than 40 countries each year.

The Spanish School is the first of three week-long annual fire training schools hosted by TEEX each summer. The 46th Annual Industrial Fire School is scheduled for July 14-18, with the 79th Annual Municipal Fire School following July 21-25.