Several Erath County firefighters are now more qualified after attending the 95th annual Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Municipal School in College Station.
The annual fire school was held from July 7 through July 12 and seven firefighters from Erath County Volunteer Fire Department attended training to sharpen their skills at TEEX Brayton Fire Training Field, the largest fire training facility in the world.
Firefighters Mikey Ross, Rocco Fitzgerald, Ethan Paul, Duston Vargas and Thomas Barton took the opportunity to learn more about wildland firefighting through a series of classes.
“A larger number took wildland because it is the greatest threat to our county,” Erath County Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Brooks said.
With the largest wildland fire in Texas history occurring this year, the firefighters were able to be better prepared not only for Erath County but the surrounding area and other parts of the state if needed.
Firefighter Trevor Mason took the opportunity to take a hazmat operations and awareness course at TEEX.
Brooks not only accompanied the firefighters to TEEX but took a Public Information course in order to improve his public speaking for the county.
“It was absolutely beneficial and sharpened my public speaking skills immensely,” he said.
Brooks who became Erath County Emergency Manager in February 2023 is no stranger in the world of firefighting. He joined with the Erath County Volunteer Fire Department in 2011 and was made fire coordinator in 2013.
All of the classes were for certification and were funded through a grant from the Texas A&M Forest Service.
“The grants provide grant money to volunteer departments across Texas for annual training. Erath County is thrilled that these personnel are so passionate about the safety and well-being of the Erath County citizens, that they took personal time off work and time away from their families to attend this school. We look forward to sending firefighters to future classes to acquire the knowledge necessary for our department to stay current with evolving technology and best practices,” Brooks said.