More
than 680 Spanish-speaking firefighters from 15 different nations attended
the 2006 school. (Photo courtesy of TEEX)
(College Station)—More than 680 Spanish-speaking firefighters from 15 different nations attended the Texas Engineering Extension Service’s 40th Annual Spanish Fire School July 9-14, solidifying the largest enrollment the school has experienced in five years.
Studying everything from basic firefighting operations to officer development, the firefighters learned from the experience and knowledge of 190 volunteer instructors teaching only in Spanish. These instructors donated their time and money to travel to College Station, where some have been teaching at the school for more than 30 years.
The firefighters came to TEEX’s Brayton Fire Training Field from as far away as South America and Europe and ranged from basic volunteer responders to experienced career firefighters. While many of the participants were sent to the school by their employers, others relied only on their personal savings and dedication to journey to the world-renowned, one-of-a-kind school.
TEEX’s
Brayton Fire Training Field is the world’s largest live-fire fueled
training facility. (Photo courtesy of TEEX)
Ignacio Lozoya Morales and his 43 fellow firefighters came to the TEEX fire school from Mexicali, Mexico, in a convoy of four vans. He has been attending the school for four years, and this year he served as an assistant instructor.
“Firefighters, they don’t have borders. We can go wherever we want to fight the fire or to get more experience,” Morales said.
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 conducted at TEEX’s Brayton Field, recognized as the world’s largest live-fire fueled training facility with more than 100 specific training stations.
“The training (stations) are very realistic and intense,” said Rafael Marrero, a Venezuelan firefighter. “It is just like a real fire. I have to take deep breaths to be able to stay calm and keep working.”
The Spanish School is the first of three week-long annual fire training schools hosted by TEEX each summer. Countries represented during the Spanish School included Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, United States and Venezuela.
“We really thank you—all the American people here that give us the chance to come here and practice and learn more,” said firefighter Jorge Harb of Ecuador.
Nearly
200 volunteer instructors teach the courses, which are given in Spanish. (Photo
courtesy of TEEX)
TEEX’s 44th Annual Industrial Fire Training School, held July 16-21, included more than 550 firefighters and safety personnel who obtained the latest industrial firefighting and hazardous material control certifications as prescribed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). NFPA standards are recognized internationally for firefighting and hazardous material control qualifications and are the foremost education standards in emergency response.
The last of the three annual firefighter training schools, the 77th Annual Municipal Fire Training School held July 23-28, included more than 2,500 firefighters and 500 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 large metropolitan areas. Courses included basic and advanced firefighting, fire prevention, rescue operations, fire officer development, aircraft firefighting and emergency service dispatch.
The first Texas 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.
TEEX remains at the helm of the fire training industry with more than
$25 million in construction projects completed or underway at the Brayton
Field. These include a new chemical refinery burn training facility, a
structural burn complex, a liquefied natural gas training facility and
the Henry D. Smith Operations Complex, which will house a welcome center
and state-of-the-art classrooms. 