COLLEGE STATION — Fifty-three new firefighters graduated March 29 from the 158th Firefighter Recruit Academy at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). The graduates, who came from Texas, California, Arizona, Canada, Japan and Mexico, completed 12 weeks of classroom and hands-on training at the Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station.
The graduation ceremony was held at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the George Bush Presidential Library on the Texas A&M University campus, with friends and family members in attendance and more watching on Facebook Live.
The keynote speaker was Mayor Pro Tem Linda Harvell of the College Station City Council. Following the ceremony, a reception was held and tours were offered at Brayton Fire Training Field.
The Academic Award was presented to Tyler Young of Kitchener, Ontario. The class voted for the Outstanding Student, which was awarded to Richard McFarland of San Antonio, TX. The Pat Barrett Fire School Scholarship was presented to David Alcantar of Buffalo, TX, by Meg Barrett, daughter of Pat Barrett, who was a champion of the Texas Fire Service. He managed the municipal firefighter training program and annual fire schools at TEEX from 1992 until his death in 2010.
The TEEX Firefighter Academy prepares entry-level firefighters to earn the Texas Commission on Fire Protection certifications for Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness and HazMat Operations, as well as ProBoard Firefighter I, Firefighter II and HazMat Awareness and HazMat Operations. The program, operated by the TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute, is also eligible for college credit through the Fire Science Technology degree program at Blinn College.
The Firefighter Recruit Program staff members include Donald Boggs, David Rosier, Jason Loyd, Cary Roccaforte, Matt Wallace and Denise Littlejohn.
TEEX has trained more than 5,000 certifiable firefighters since 1971, and has graduates working across Texas, the United States and the world.
Learn more about the TEEX traditional and blended learning Firefighter Academies.
Visit the TEEX Firefighter Recruit Academy facebook page.