TEEX Fire School helping generations of firefighters prepare

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - Hundreds of first responders are in College Station going through TEEX 60th annual Industrial Fire School.

This takes place at the Brayton Fire Training Field near Disaster City. With over 200 instructors helping 700 students, the next generations of firefighters are getting ready.

“[I’m] really proud for what it stands for, the impactfulness of the training deliveries, and then just that knowledge transfer that’s happening all week,” said Gordon Lohmeyer, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Division Director for Brayton Fire Training Field. “A lot of the folks here they’re getting the front end, basic skill sets that they need to put in their toolbox to pull out and use this as they need.”

Emergency response professionals from all over the country and learning the latest in industrial firefighting and safety. Many of the participants work on fire and rescue squads for oil and gas companies.

Alice Huball, a section leader, has been traveling from Indiana to teach at the Industrial Fire School for 18 years.

She said she’s grateful to share her knowledge with young firefighters and help keep them safe.

“Our number one, and most important point is safety. Everything is about safety on these hot days in Texas. The second key point is hydration. Because it’s so hot,” she said. “[Decontamination] is really important these days, because there are so many chemicals and matter that the firefighters get into, they need to get that washed off to stay healthy. Cancer is a raising risk for firefighters.”

Sarah Smith works fire and rescue for a petroleum company in Kentucky. She said the training field is something she’s grateful to experience.

“This is more of like Disney World,” she said. “We have a lot of props here. They’ve put a lot of money and dedication into time and preparation. This is more of big game stuff. I’m a small-town girl so I haven’t really gotten a chance to play with some of these big situations and big toys.”

While it’s cool to experience, Smith also says it’s vital knowledge in her line of work.

“Fire and rescue incidents, they don’t care if you’re small town or big town. Every life matters, whether it’s a small one or a big one. And if you practice to play in the big game, you’re going to be ready no matter what that scenario is,” she said.

TEEX 93rd Annual Municipal Fire School takes place next week where nearly 900 municipal and volunteer firefighters will travel to College Station to achieve Pro Board certification.