49 new firefighters from 5 countries graduate from TEEX Firefighter Academy
COLLEGE STATION — Forty-nine new firefighters graduated from the 21st Online Firefighter Recruit Academy at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). They completed 335 hours of training online before traveling to College Station for an intensive 21-day, hands-on firefighting “boot camp” at Brayton Fire Training Field.
The graduates came from five countries: United States, Canada, Bahamas, Ireland and Zimbabwe. Chief Scott Kerwood of Hutto Fire Rescue was the keynote speaker at the April 18th graduation ceremony, which was held at Henry D. Smith Building at Brayton Fire Training Field.
The class valedictorian was Luke Chisholm of Kamloops, British Columbia. The class voted Christopher Garner of Abilene, Texas, as the “Most Outstanding Cadet.”
The Firefighter Recruit Academy prepares entry-level firefighters to earn the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) and ProBoard certifications for Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazardous Materials Awareness and HazMat Operations.
The program is eligible for college credit through the Fire Science Technology degree program at Blinn College and the Fire and Emergency Services Administration degree program at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
The TEEX Academy meets or exceeds the requirements in most states and countries for preparation and/or certification of municipal firefighters. The Online Firefighter Recruit Academy has trained nearly 700 certifiable firefighters since the first class was held in 2011.
Learn more about the TEEX blended learning and traditional Firefighter Academies.