Record temperatures in the triple digits have not dampened the spirits of the more than 2,500 firefighters at Brayton Fire Training Field this week for the 82nd Municipal Fire Training School. Undaunted, the firefighters come from every corner of Texas, as well as 15 other states and countries, to hone their skills and techniques to better serve their communities.

More than 600 industrial firefighters and safety officers are at the Brayton Fire Training Field this week for the 49th Industrial Fire Training School, which continues through July 22. Enrolled in the school are 611 members of industrial emergency response brigades and safety officers from some of the world’s largest oil & gas and chemical companies.

TEEX’s School Safety & Security Center recently completed a year-long safety initiative, Project Protect, with the Navasota Independent School District, just prior to a wildfire that broke out in Grimes County.

More than 630 Spanish-speaking firefighters from around the world have begun a week of challenging, intense training at the world-renowned Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station. The firefighters come from more than 15 countries and are in enrolled in weeklong courses offered this year at the 45th annual Escuela para Bomberos en Español. Enrollment is the highest since 2008.

Hundreds of Spanish-speaking firefighters from across the globe are expected to make the trip to College Station for the 45th annual Spanish Fire Training School (Escuela para Bomberos en Español), which begins July 10.

TEEX’s Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station, TX, one of the largest emergency services training complexes in the U.S., has more than doubled in size to 279 acres, following a property transfer from Texas A&M University.

The three-story warehouse and apartment complex burn project at Brayton Fire Training Field will be torn down to make way for a modern interior firefighting training complex. While the new complex is under construction, an interim interior firefighting burn prop has been completed and tested, and is now ready for the 2011 Fire Schools.

A new state-of-the-art training laboratory for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics has expanded the agency’s capacity for hands-on scenarios and practical skills training in emergency medicine. The EMS Lab, located at the Brayton Fire Training Field, includes the back of a working ambulance and a hospital Emergency Room examination area, as well as typical office and home settings to provide realistic training.

Chief Les Bunte is retiring as Director of the Emergency Services Training Institute and the Brayton Fire Training Field, which are operated by the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). Since he joined TEEX eight years ago, Bunte has overseen a number of major improvement projects at the Brayton Fire Training Field. He has worked tirelessly to improve the training of Texas firefighters while also expanding TEEX training partnerships across the globe.

Firefighters from four countries attended the 23rd Annual Spring Fire Training School at Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station. The school, held March 6-11, drew 329 firefighters from as far away as Colombia, Chile and Canada, as well as Texas and at least 10 other states.