COLLEGE STATION With funding provided by the 88th Texas Legislature, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) has expanded its outreach efforts throughout Texas to offer training and assistance in three critical disciplines essential to Texas communities: Fire and Emergency Services; Law Enforcement and Protective Services; and Critical Infrastructure/Water and Wastewater Management and Recovery.
Deemed the “TEEX Extension Program,” the program provides state-funded classroom and hands-on training and on-site technical assistance to local agencies throughout the state. The program is part of the Texas A&M University System’s Keeping Texas Prepared initiative to ensure the A&M System service agencies and teams are equipped to prepare for and respond to statewide emergencies.
“The goal of the program is to prepare our public servants to be proactive in serving Texas communities and in responding to emergency situations,” David Coatney, TEEX agency director, said in a news release. “The desired result is to prepare our state for disasters by providing training and technical assistance to achieve the community resilience needed to withstand and recover from emergencies.”
Instructors provide training courses for departments and communities which meet or exceed certification and continuing education requirements. Technical experts provide in-depth, on-site assistance to solve local problems and issues through planning, assessments, troubleshooting, repair and recovery.
TEEX Extension Program services are provided through six regions that cover the entire state, and the TEEX regional managers and coordinators live in the regions they serve. They are experienced leaders familiar with the challenges and needs of local agencies and response organizations — from rural areas and small towns to large municipalities.
“Our robust regional network of coordinators and directors are our ‘boots on the ground’ to assess and respond to a department’s needs in fire and emergency services, law enforcement and critical community infrastructure,” Tony Crites, TEEX deputy agency director and chief operating officer, said in the release. “Our experts can provide on-site assistance and training in these areas and connect to other TEEX services as well. No job is too big or too small for us to tackle.”
To learn more about the services offered and the TEEX region in which your county is located, visit: http://TEEX.org/Extension.
