TEEX welcomes annual summer fire schools

Thousands of firefighters from around the globe will travel to College Station, Texas, in July to participate in the nation’s premier fire training schools at the world’s largest, live-fueled fire training facility: Brayton Fire Training Field.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Texas Engineering Extension Service’s (TEEX) Annual Summer Fire Training Schools.

Fire School Dates

July 6-10: 43rd Annual Spanish Fire Training School
July 13-17: 47th Annual Industrial Fire Training School
July 20-24: 80th Annual Municipal Fire Training School

About TEEX Fire Schools

Spanish Fire School: The Spanish Fire Training School annually hosts hundreds of Spanish-speaking firefighters who learn skills ranging from basic firefighting operations to officer development. These firefighters will learn from the experience and knowledge of volunteer instructors who teach only in Spanish. Many of these international firefighters rely solely on their personal savings and dedication to journey to this world-renowned school.

Industrial Fire School: The Industrial Fire Training School begins the following week, when hundreds more firefighters and safety personnel will receive training on the latest industrial firefighting, rescue and hazardous materials control techniques. Many of these courses are recognized by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and will include certification in a specialty area. NFPA standards are recognized internationally for firefighting, rescue and hazardous material control qualifications and are the foremost educational standards in emergency response.

Municipal Fire School: The last of the three annual firefighter training schools, the Municipal Fire Training School, will include thousands of firefighters and hundreds of guest instructors from throughout Texas and the nation. This is the largest school of its kind in the world, attracting firefighters from the state’s smallest volunteer fire departments to those serving the largest metropolitan areas. Courses include basic and advanced firefighting, fire prevention, rescue operations, fire officer development, aircraft firefighting and emergency service, incident management and communications. All of the hands-on training is provided by guest instructors who donate their time, services and travel expenses to ensure that firefighters, emergency medical, and response personnel are adequately prepared to respond to a wide range of emergency situations. It’s not uncommon for guest instructors to have taught at the Municipal School for more than 40 years.

History of the Fire School: The first Municipal Fire School was held in 1930 as part of the Texas A&M University chemistry department and attracted 196 firefighters representing 76 cities and towns. The following year the Texas Legislature authorized Texas A&M to create and operate a permanent firefighter training school in College Station. Shortly thereafter, TEEX began operating the Fire School, and the agency is now recognized as the world’s premier emergency services training institute. Each year, TEEX trains more than 80,000 firefighters and emergency responders from throughout Texas, all 50 states and more than 40 countries.

About TEEX

TEEX continues to remain at the helm of the fire training industry by featuring a new chemical refinery fire training facility, a structural burn complex, a liquefied natural gas training facility and the Henry D. Smith Operations Complex, which houses a welcome center and state-of-the-art classrooms. TEEX offers hands-on, customized training, technical assistance and emergency response services impacting Texas and beyond. Agency programs include fire services, homeland security, public safety and security, public works, safety and health, search and rescue and economic development.