COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (May 5, 2020) – Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Industrial and Municipal Annual Fire Schools. This comes on the heels of the cancellation of Spanish Annual Fire School. All three schools were set to take place in July. This cancellation also applies to the vendor exhibit shows tied to each school.
Statement from Robert Moore, TEEX Chief Operating Officer:
“There are a multitude of factors at work when we consider to hold or postpone Annual Schools. Many of you may be aware that the decision was made several weeks ago to cancel Annual Spanish Fire School for this year. The vast majority of these students come from outside of the U.S., thus it just wasn’t feasible, considering travel restrictions and other current restrictions to continue with this school.
“After careful consideration, the decision has been made to also cancel the 2020 Annual Industrial and Municipal Schools. This wasn’t a decision that was made lightly or without thought. We look forward to when we can once again come together with the purpose of sharing our knowledge with others in 2021.”
About Annual Fire School
Each year in July, thousands of fire service personnel from municipalities and industries around the world participate in intensive weeklong training courses that make up the Annual Fire Schools. One week is dedicated to teaching those from Spanish-speaking countries, the second week is for Industrial emergency responders, and week three is dedicated to Municipal – both volunteer and paid – first responders. Courses range from basic to advanced levels and are taught by hundreds of guest instructors, each experienced in specific areas of emergency response.
About TEEX-Emergency Services Training Institute (ESTI)
The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Emergency Services Training Institute (TEEX-ESTI) is home to the 300-acre complex of the Brayton Fire Training Field, Disaster City®, the Emergency Operations Training Center, all in College Station, Texas, as well as the Center for Marine Training and Safety in Galveston, Texas. Last year, TEEX-ESTI trained more than 120,000 people from around the world in 130 emergency response discipline areas. For more information, visit http://teex.org/esti.