estiFireTALKCMTS Partnership Launched in Galveston New TEEX Classes Begin

PRO Board & TCFPNew Policy Changes Affect Firefighters Across the State

IEMBRIndustrial Emergencies for Municipal Responders

Immerse Yourself in Scenario-Based

Simulation Training

Safety Plan for Structural Collapse Environment

Train in Disaster City®

April 2014

Structural Collapse Rescue

E m e r g e n c y S e r v i c e s T r a i n i n g I n s t i t u t e • • • C o l l e g e S t a t i o n , Te x a s

Safety Plan for a Structural Collapse EnvironmentBrian Smith

Immerse Yourself in Scenario-Based Simulation TrainingTony Crites

Division Director Chief Robert MooreP ublisher ESTI Marketing Office Brandi Plunkett, Ph.D. Chris LyonE ditor Matt Sherwood, Ph.D.Designer Janet Lamb P hoto graphy / Video Staff

Emergency Services Training Institute [ESTI] 1595 Nuclear Science Road P.O. Box 40006 College Station, TX 77842-4006

esti@teex.tamu.edu 866-878-8900 © 2014 TEEX-ESTI. All rights reserved. FireTALK is a quarterly publication of the Emergency Services Training Institue, a division of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service [TEEX].

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FireTALK

148

the CHIEF M

OO

RE minute

Welcome to the first issue of the new FireTALK magazine. We are very excited to revive this publication. Issues will be released quarterly

detailing topics important to the fire service, as well as

happenings here at TEEX’s Brayton Fire Training Field

and Disaster City.®

The biggest difference from the old FireTALK is that we’re now

all-digital; as you go through the magazine, you’ll find links back

to relevant documents, the TEEX website, and videos on our

YouTube channel. You will also find email links so you can

contact the right person to answer your questions on training

topics or to register for a course—we pride ourselves on

providing the best customer care possible.

There are great things happening in the fire service, and you’ll

see that theme running throughout the articles in this issue

of FireTALK magazine. From new training technologies to new

course offerings and facilities, there’s a lot happening here that

will help us continue to provide the most relevant, effective

training for emergency responders. We look forward to sharing

many more developments with you in future issues of FireTALK.

—Chief Robert Moore, ESTI Director

2 F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ]

2 Chief Moore Minute

4 In the News Pro Board and TCFP Policy Changes

6 CMTS Launches in Galveston

10 Texas 360 TEEX Fire Extension Program Goes Regional

12 Focus on Safety Eye Protection Safety Requirements Reviewed

18 Leadership Symposium Record Attendance in Frisco

20 Suiting Up New HazMat Suits Designed for TEEX

22 IEMBR New Industrial Training for Municipal Firefighters

24 ESTI Field Notes Rescue Road Construction Begins Phillips 66 Commits $500,000 to Brayton Upcoming Conferences ESTI is Attending Calendar

F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ] 3

Certification Made Simpler

At the January 2014 meeting of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) Board of Commissioners, a big decision was made that affects firefighters across the state. The Commissioners unanimously voted to approve a reciprocity policy that allows some Pro Board certifications given by TEEX to be submitted through the state system to receive TCFP certification.

Over the last three years, a great deal of work was conducted

between TEEX and TCFP certification staff to ensure the Pro Board certification program managed at TEEX could be considered accept-able for reciprocity to the

standards of TCFP certifica-tion. The extensive review process involved observa-tions of Pro Board testing events at TEEX, review of TEEX’s Pro Board Certification Policies and Procedures, and a review of TEEX Pro Board testing documents by several TCFP staff.

Why is this policy change a good thing for the firefighters in Texas? Currently, students who complete Pro Board certification testing in conjunction with TEEX training must take two exams that are nationally accredited and meet the rigors of third party accredi-tation bodies (Pro Board and IFSAC). However, once the

new policy is filed into the Texas Registry, students will only be required to take one exam and will then be able to submit their TEEX Pro Board certification to TCFP for state certification. Students who select the Pro Board route will not have to pay the additional $85 testing fee to TCFP; however, they will still be required to pay the state certification fee. This policy does not create a pathway for reciprocity between Pro Board certificates and IFSAC certificates. Students seeking IFSAC certification will still need to follow TCFP procedures to obtain an IFSAC seal.

The reciprocity policy is a positive step forward for the

Texas fire service and demonstrates a stronger, more collaborative relationship between the two agencies for the benefit of firefighters in the state. What certifications are eligible for reciprocity?The policy language approved by the Commissioners

includes several conditions for Pro Board certification to be accepted by TCFP for state certification. TCFP will accept Pro Board certifications from TEEX, without additional state testing, under the following conditions:

• the Pro Board certifications must be issued by TEEX,

• the Pro Board certifications must be issued for certain National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, levels, and edition years (see chart below),

• the Pro Board exam must be administered in English only, and

• the Pro Board certification must be issued for a course that was approved by TCFP prior to the delivery of the course.

How do I find out more information?

TEEX will post a Frequently Asked Questions page to the TEEX website as soon as the process is finalized and students can begin con-tacting TEEX/TCFP to start the process. TEEX would like to thank the Texas firefighters and the leadership at TCFP for their support to make this opportunity possible.

NEWSIN THE

NEWS

A Big Change in TCFP Policy Affects Firefighters Across the State

LEARN MORE AT

TEEX.ORG/ESTI

Standard Level Oldest Edition Year Accepted

472 HazMat Awareness, Operations, PPE, Product Control, Technician, Incident Commander*

2008

1001 Fire Fighter I and II 20081002 D/O Pumper 20091003 ARFF 20101021 Fire Officer I, II, III**, & IV** 20091031 Inspector I, II, and Plans Examiner I 20091041 Instructor I and II 2007

* Through February 2015, an individual is eligible for TCFP HazMat IC certification upon documentation of Pro Board certification issued by TEEX using the 2008 edition of the NFPA standard without having prior TCFP course approval.

** Through February 2015, an individual is eligible for TCFP Fire Officer III and/or IV certifications upon documentation of Pro Board certification issued by TEEX using the 2009 edition of the NFPA standard without having prior TCFP course approval.

Pro Board Certifications Eligible for State Certification

TCFP UPDATE

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— Chief Lynn Bizzell, Program Manager, and Laura Corn, Project Director

Recently, Rear Admiral Robert Smith III, USN (Ret.), CEO of Texas A&M

University at Galveston (TA-MUG), and TEEX Director Gary Sera signed an Intrasystem Co-operation Contract establishing a partnership between TAMUG and TEEX to jointly operate the Center for Marine Training and Safety (CMTS). That partnership went into effect September 1st of last year.

CMTS offers job skill, safety, and emergency response training to the Gulf of Mexico

maritime, offshore drilling, and petro-chemical workforce, and is headquartered in Galveston at 8701 Teichman Road, just off the Galveston causeway. The Teichman Road facility, with a newly remodeled two story classroom/office building and over 2,000 feet of sheltered waterfront on Offatts Bayou, offers an ideal location for on-water training.

Courses currently offered through CMTS include fast rescue boat operation, life-boat training, water survival,

freshwater and coastal oil spill response, Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeep-ing for Seafarers (STCW) basic safety training, and a variety of marine fire fighting courses. TEEX will offer predominantly safety and emergency response courses under the CMTS banner while TAMUG will focus on op-erational training courses such as radar certification, blinker light, and tanker and tank barge cargo operations.

TEEX will serve as the managing partner of CMTS, while courses

An $8.2M development effort to improve the property and expand training offerings is under way.

will be offered by both partners at the Teichman Road facility as well as Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station and the TAMUG campus on Pelican Island. TAMUG also possesses excellent classroom and waterfront facilities along the Galveston ship channel that are ideal for on-water training.

The Teichman Road facility is currently undergoing extensive spring cleaning in preparation for the initial phase of infrastructure enhancements. An $8.2M devel-opment plan outlining the pro-posed enhancements has been

completed, and Phase 1 of the work, priced out at around $850,000.00, will start soon. These initial projects will include an asphalt parking lot, an upgraded lifeboat davit system, installation of a new lifeboat, installation of a fast res-cue boat davit system, and repairs and upgrades to the classroom building’s roof and HVAC system. Phase 2 of the enhancement effort will include construction of wa-terfront bulkheads, a boat house with four boat lifts, a boat ramp, floating docks, and an indoor pool to serve as a venue for year-round

water-survival training.

Last but not least, CMTS is expecting the delivery of a brand new fast rescue boat to serve alongside the current craft. There are a lot of exciting changes happening at CMTS, and it’s all thanks to mutual cooperation between a number of agencies, programs, and departments within the Texas A&M University System, and a lot of hard work by TEEX and TAMUG employees.

CMTS Partnership

in GalvestonLAUNCHED Center for Marine

training and safety

MORE ON CMTS

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CMTS acquires new rescue boat

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—Kirk Richardson, Training Director

Because of these features, comput-er-aided simulation can offer many response organizations a much bigger bang for their training bucks.

TEEX currently uses three different tools to create training simulations. The first is a computer-based simulation called the Emergency Management Exercise System (EM*ES), developed by a team of emergency responders and software engineers from the Texas Center for Applied Technology (TCAT). In use at the Emergency Operations Training Center (EOTC) at Brayton Fire Training Field since 2003, this simulation software provides prospective inci-dent commanders with tools similar to what they would have in their home jurisdictions. EM*ES allows TEEX to train a group of responders who participate as an Incident Management Team at a large-scale, expanding incident response. This process-driven training focuses on planning, resource management, and information management.

In 2012, TEEX also began using E-Semble’s XVR, a three-dimensional simulation platform that allows construction of a multitude of virtual environments, to prepare up-and-coming incident commanders to manage the initial stages of major incidents. Designed for simultaneous use by several individuals, the soft-ware places students around a 3-D incident scene where their decisions and actions control the direction and outcome of the event.

And finally, in 2013, a mobile version of the EM*ES system called WebEM*ES was introduced at TEEX. WebEM*ES allows TEEX instructors to take the simulation-supported courses out to the local jurisdictions. Customers who are not able to bring their team or jurisdiction to the EOTC can now have a scenario that is tailored for their communities and delivered in their own Emergency Operations Centers or Incident Command Post. Also, this new capability will have an impact on the development and delivery of full scale exercises. It will facilitate better communications during a full scale exercise as well as allowing greater control and flexibility to the exercise coordinators. The future use and ap-plication of the Web EM*ES has great potential to expand TEEX’s simulation training into many other areas.

The Preparedness Program has worked with clients from across the nation for more than a decade developing and delivering simula-tions to meet a variety of needs. To find out more about what kinds of simulation-based training TEEX can provide your jurisdiction, please contact Tony Crites, Program Director for Preparedness, at 979-458-5616 or by email at tony.crites@teex.tamu.edu.

Scenario-based training is a familiar educational tool in the emergency services—by

considering realistic situations, instructors can focus students’ attention on a specific set of objectives intended to produce specific learning outcomes. This kind of training gives participants the opportunity to make decisions and experience their outcomes in a low-consequence environment.

The most immersive kind of scenario-based training comes in the form of simulations. Simulation can come in many forms, but the goal is always to go beyond the traditional facilitated discussion or tabletop exercise and attempt to recreate some of the urgency and complexity of participating in a real incident response. Creating full-scale, live simulations for emergency events

can be done, but it is prohibitively complex and expensive—which is why, for more than 10 years, TEEX has been employing computer technology for creating realistic event simulations.

Computer-based simulations immerse trainees in a realistic environment where carefully crafted events provide a context for individuals to apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Moreover, this approach offers several distinct training benefits, including:

• Scalability: simulated events can range from simple to highly com-plex, and can involve everything from a small team of responders to dozens of individuals participating in a national-level event.

• Easy customization: training scenarios can be tailored to a customer’s exact needs, or adjusted on the fly to accommodate different

experience and skill levels.

• Repeatability: the exact same scenario can be used for multiple training evolutions, or to allow participants to explore the consequences for different courses of action.

• Efficient use of time: comput-er-aided simulation allows multiple evolutions to take place without excessive setup or down-time between them, meaning more training time and exposure to a greater variety of experiences for participants during a single training event.

• Lower costs: Full-scale exercises have a high cost associated with planning time and the logistics of personnel participation, which often limits jurisdictions to infre-quent training opportunities once a year or less. Eliminating some of those costs via computer simulation makes the training a realistic option for more response organizations.

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Immerse Yourself in Scenario-Based Simulation Training

SIMULATION TRAINING

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—Tony Crites, Program Director

TEEX.ORG/IMPROGRAMS

Schedule a custom class!

Course Overview

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Texas 360

In order to better serve the thousands of fire houses across the state, ESTI has placed a Regional Coordinator in each

of the eight regions.TEEX creates new regionalization plan to better serve its customers around the state.

At TEEX, one of our most important missions is to make emergency response training available to municipal and volunteer fire

departments in every corner of Texas through our Extension program. We deliver National Fire Academy (NFA) and State Firemen and Fire Marshal’s Association (SFFMA) training, and also make certification courses for Pro Board and TCFP available. Over the last few decades, we have used different methods to try to make the most effec-tive use of our staff and available funding, and get instructors and classes distributed around the state.

In 2013, TEEX set up a group of eight regional coordinators to help establish and maintain the local relationships that are so vital to the success of the Extension program. These individuals live and work in their regions. Each one is an experienced leader familiar with the challenges and needs of different kinds of response organizations, from large municipalities to small and remote volunteer districts. Your regional coordinator’s job is to help connect you with training that meets your local needs, whether it’s working to schedule a class at your location or helping you find an already- scheduled class in your area.

If you are responsible for training in your organiza-tion, contact your TEEX regional coordinator today to learn more about what we can do to help you. You can also find information about scheduled training at the TEEX Extension program web page.

Visit www.teex.org/extension.

Meet the Texas Regional Coordinators

Mike Terry mike.terry@teex.tamu.edu512-566-6006

Rosendo Garcia rosenda.garcia@teex.tamu.edu 979-324-5685

Ben Kennedy ben.kennedy@teex.tamu.edu979-229-1263

Jeff Rhoads jeff.rhoads@teex.tamu.edu254-541-8422

Dallas Renfrew dallas.renfrew@teex.tamu.edu979-458-4603

David Rosierdavid.rosier@teex.tamu.edu903-240-2219

Darren Smithdarren.smith@teex.tamu.edu210-269-9437

Alan Dillon alan.dillon@teex.tamu.edu254-718-4776

Ken Kingken.king@teex.tamu.edu903-818-1823

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Scott Matthews scott.matthews@teex.tamu.edu979-204-2079

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MORE ON EXTENSION

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F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ] 1 11 0 F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ]

—Dr. Matt Sherwood, Curriculum Manager, TEEX (ESTI)

As one of the premier emergency

services training facilities in the world, we have a lot of students participating in training at the Emergency Services Training Institute—more than 52,000 in Fiscal Year 2013 alone, representing over 1.2 million contact hours. A great deal of that training is potentially dangerous work; our goal is always zero injuries, and we need your help to accomplish that. So with the TEEX Annual Schools right around the corner in July, now is a great time to review a couple of key safety issues for training here at Brayton Fire Training Field.

The first issue is eye and face protection. Every year, we get many questions about appropriate gear to use during the live-fire training, and I wanted to clarify our policies about eye and face protection in the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ensemble. The TEEX Student Safety Manual states the following:

“For any exterior, live-fire training, the minimum protection includes an NFPA 1971- approved firefighter’s helmet with ear flaps. The 1971-approved helmet must have:

• the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) faceshield, or

• NFPA 1971-approved goggles, or

• both.”

This policy language comes directly out of the NFPA 1971 standard. To make sure our policy is up-to-date, we have consulted with multiple helmet manufacturers, and contacted the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) to understand their audit process. This is the minimum acceptable standard for participating in field activities.

The second issue is safe tactics during live-fire training. We want to remind you to practice the basics:

• Students always approach the fires from upwind.

• Hose teams do not advance on a spill fire until it is extinguished, or contained and controlled.

• Nozzle persons use power cone patterns to control point source leaks for maximum distance between the point source and the hose team.

While we may always be at some risk while fighting fires, we believe strong policies and procedures combined with effective tactics help us to continually drive towards our goal of zero injuries. Remember, the main goal of training is to ensure that everyone goes home safely.

If you have questions about TEEX Safety Policies, you can download our full Safety Manual or see our Field Safety page.

Safety First“Our goal is always zero injuries, and we need your help to accomplish that.”—Howard Meek, CSP Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager, TEEX (ESTI)

ESTI Face/Eye Protection Require

ments

Example: Helmetwith approved faceshield

Example: Helmetwith approved goggles.

Note: Goggles do not have to be attached.

Example: Helmet with approved visor

Example: Helmet with approved EZ-Flip®

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SAFETYMANUAL

FIELD SAFETY WEB PAGE

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F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ] 1 31 2 F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ]

Structural collapse extrications require

unique safety considerations

Safety Plan for a Structural Collapse Environment

Extraction of patients in a structural collapse environment requires

responders to work in unfamiliar and hazardous conditions. The structural integrity of the buildings are often compromised, and material weaknesses and failure points are not readily visible. Recent disasters around the country have demonstrated the complex circumstances in which firefighters and responders are required to work in hazardous and unstable conditions to extract patients trapped in damaged structures. In March of 2014, the gas explosion and resulting collapse of the five- story building in New York, as well as the partial collapse of a building under construction in Boston, demonstrated the dangers inherent to structural collapses. Heavy equipment working on a building demolition last year in Philadelphia, PA, caused a building to collapse onto an adjacent Salvation Army Thrift Store, killing six and injuring fourteen.

The structural collapse environment exposes

responders to many hazards for which they must consider a variety of issues in order to ensure their safety and the safety of those trapped inside. It is imperative to have an understanding of the unique challenges and hazards that exist while trying to perform complicated or extended extrication techniques at an incident site.

Multi-Hazard Safety Plan An important question to consider arriving on scene is to determine why the structure collapsed. This central and important piece of information will drive your other decisions. Did the building spontaneously collapse? Did some outside mechanism cause the collapse (such as the demolition work in Philadelphia)? Was terrorism involved? Was it a gas line explosion?

Rescue personnel conducting extrications at structural collapse incidents need to follow a multi-hazard safety plan as a guide to the basic elements of safety for a variety of incidents. The acronym to use is LCES, which stands for Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, and Safe Zones.

L — Lookouts This is normally the function of the dedicated safety officer. Complex structural collapse environments need to designate a safety officer to be an objective observer not involved in the “hands-on” portion of the operation. They are assigned to watch over the entire operation identifying potentially dangerous situations and mitigating them before they become disastrous. Responders tasked as the safety officer must resist the temptation to become involved in tactical operations, which requires extreme self-discipline. They must identify and anticipate safety issues in advance and warn the rescuers that are focused directly on the extrication. This safety officer must take a holistic view of the incident site and realize that success of the extrication depends upon the ability to identify and counter hazards before they become problems.

C — Communication On-site communications must be clear, concise, and organized on radio channels based on function. Channels should be identified for command,

—Brian Smith, Training Coordinator, TEEX (ESTI)

F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ] 1 51 4 F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ]

tactical, and other special radio channels as required. These channels are responders’ lifelines for resources, support, medical assistance, and safety. A common evacuation signal should be understood by all responders on scene, to include police, EMS, and public works. The following Emergency Alerting System is suggested to be used on scene in the event of problems at the incident site:

• Evacuate: 3 short blasts (1 second for each blast— think Run-Run-Run)

• Cease Operations: 1 long blast (3 seconds in duration)

• Resume Operations: 1 long and 1 short blast

E — Escape Routes When working in a structural collapse environment, responders must pre-establish an escape route to an area of safe refuge if the structure begins to exhibit signs of further structural collapse. These areas may be along a path where emergency shoring has been constructed and it might not always be the most direct route out of a structure.

Extrication operations within a structural collapse are often dynamic and constantly changing. The situation can change as a result of external forces or as a result of the rescuer’s action. The escape route and plan should be constantly updated to reflect changes in the situation.

S — Safe Zones Safe zones, also referred to as “safe havens,” are the pre-established areas of refuge free from hazards. This could be a designated area outside the incident site or agreed upon safe areas within the incident site. Responders working on the extrication of a trapped patient should constantly consider the escape routes mentioned above and also consider where safe havens exist within the structure. If responders have to travel through unstable parts of the structure to get outside, it may be better to move to a safe zone, instead. Safe zones should be clearly marked and identified, and personnel accountability reports conducted once your team evacuates to a safe zone.

Monitoring the Incident Site

Prior to making entry into a structural collapse incident site, you want to make sure to take a moment to evaluate the stability of the structure, consider the mechanism of collapse, and identify if it is safe to enter and by which route. It is important that members of the rescue team have received training in structural collapse. These responders can provide valuable insight into the best strategy and tactics that will yield successful location and extrication of patients. It is important to conduct monitoring of the site for hazardous materials that could have been released by the collapse, including natural gas or liquids that were located within the structure. When applicable and when working in confined spaces or below ground level, responders should establish atmospheric monitoring to make sure that oxygen levels remain above 19.5% and ensure that Lower Explosive Limits (LEL) are less than 10%. Other concerns are buildups of hydrogen sulfide or carbon monoxide from nearby rescue vehicles and light tower generators. Positive pressure

ventilation or exhaust ventilation should also be considered.

Working in a structural collapse situation will never be hazard-free, but with careful planning and situational awareness, responders can mitigate specific, predictable risks.

Brian Smith is responsible for the Urban Search and Rescue courses offered at Disaster City in College Station, Texas, including the Structural Collapse Technician 2 and the Disaster Medical Specialist courses. Smith has been a member of Texas Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team since 2005. In the next issue of FireTalk, Brian will continue his discussion of structural collapse extrications and talk about important considerations for medical monitoring and packaging.

F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ] 1 7 16 FireTALK [Spring 14]

MORE ON RESCUE

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Created by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), a member of the Texas A&M System, the mock community features full-scale, collapsible structures designed to simulate various levels of disaster and wreckage which can be customized for the specific training needs of any group.

Emergency responders from across the globe venture to Disaster City® for unparalleled search and rescue training and exercises. Simply put, Disaster City is the most comprehensive emergency response training facility available today.

1 6 F i r e TA L K [ S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 ]

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POWER Influence

of

E M E R G E N C Y S E R V I C E ST R A I N I N G I N S T I T U T E

“We were very proud and honored to be able to bring nationally-known motivational speakers this year thanks to our title sponsor, Pierce Manufacturing.”

The sixth annual TEEX Leadership Development Symposium attracted nearly

700 emergency responders to Frisco, TX, on January 6–8 for sessions on management, leader-ship, budgeting, and safety issues in fire and emergency services.

Attendees heard speakers such as: adventure-racer Robyn Benincasa; motivational speaker Mike Lipkin; Chief Dennis Compton of Mesa, AZ; attorney J. Curtis Varone; next generation speaker Ryan Jenkins; and fire service marketing consultant Ben May.

“We were very proud and honored to be able to bring nationally-

known motivational speakers this year thanks to our title sponsor, Pierce Manufacturing,” said Bran-di Plunkett, Leadership Program Director with TEEX Emergency Services Training Institute. “We intend to continue this practice with future symposiums by in-viting other partners to sponsor individual speakers. We feel this is a great way to create a win-win for partners who want to support the symposium and for Texas emergency responders who are able to attend free of charge.”

In memory of the fallen firefight-ers from Texas in 2013, a tribute flame burned during the entire symposium, which was held at the

Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center in Frisco.

“We simply felt that we couldn’t have an event geared toward Texas emergency service leaders and not recognize the tremen-dous loss from this year,” said Chris Lyon, Training Director for the TEEX Leadership Development program. “We needed to remember our fallen brothers and sisters with honor and dignity.”

The Leadership Development Symposium began in 2008 and was first held at Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station, Texas. The size of the attendance and enthusiasm over the program was so great that TEEX staff knew they would need to find a larger venue for future symposiums. Fortunately for TEEX and the Texas fire service, Chief Mac Borchardt and his staff saw the potential in this event and offered to let TEEX bring the symposium to Frisco, Texas.

A sincere thank you goes to the Frisco Fire Department, which has partnered with TEEX over the past five years to make the symposium a success. Chief Borchardt and the Frisco staff were instrumental in bringing Pierce Manufacturing on board to help sponsor the event. The exceptional support from the fire department along with the financial support from Pierce Manufactoring made it possible for TEEX to offer a much larger and more robust symposium while keeping the event free for Texas firefighters.

This year, TEEX bid a fond farewell to Frisco despite the very strong

relationship shared between the two organizations. In order to reach more fire service leaders across the state, the Leadership Program will be headed to San Marcos, Texas, in 2015 to partner with the San Marcos Fire Department.

“The Leadership Program staff are very excited to be working with Chief Les Stevenson and the San Marcos Fire Department. We were approached by Chief Stevenson along with Chief David Coatney from Round Rock and Chief Nolan Horan from San Antonio last spring. They asked us to consider moving the symposium to a more central location to make it more accessible to firefighters from central and south Texas. After much deliberation and long discussions with TEEX leaders, we decided it was the right thing to do and the right time to do it,” said Plunkett.

The next TEEX Leadership Development Symposium will be held January 12–14, 2015, in San Marcos, Texas at the Embassy Suites and Convention Center.Record Attendance Set at Sixth

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—Dr. Brandi Plunkett, Leadership Director, TEEX (ESTI)

ESTI’S HAZMAT TEAM WORKS WITH MANUFACTURER TO DEVELOP NEW HAZMAT SUIT

SUITING UP

Hazmat training suits at TEEX have a hard life. They have to survive

the rigors of repeated field use, not to mention technical decontamination training and trips through the washer and dryer between wearings. With over 200 class participants needing to use suits some weeks, that adds up to a lot of wear and tear. Replacing that many suits starts to get expensive fast, and as the volume of classes has grown over the years, the HazMat Program started having trouble keeping some of the training suits intact long enough for them to be cost-effective.

In an effort to keep costs down for both TEEX and its customers, the HazMat Program approached several manufacturers in 2013 to try out a variety of different product options. We laid out three requirements:

• The suits needed to be fully encapsulated and simulate EPA Level A requirements.

• The suits needed to be able to survive a bunker gear washing machine and commercial dryer.

• The suits needed to withstand 12–15 uses and cleaning cycles.

While most manufacturers simply responded that they were not able to meet those requirements, Kappler came back with an offer to work with TEEX to develop a suit that could do all of those things. Representatives from Kappler came to Brayton Fire Training Field to get feedback directly from the hazmat instructors and technicians. After observ-ing classes in action and getting the specs for the cleaning machines, they sent the first prototype suit within two weeks; TEEX staff imme-diately tested the suits in the field and relayed performance information back to Kappler.

Over the next few months, this rapid cycle of prototyping, testing, and enhancement was repeated several times. The end result is a hazmat training suit that significantly exceeds TEEX’s original expectations—current models of the suit have lasted more than twenty uses.

This partnership between TEEX and Kappler has been a beneficial arrangement for both organizations. TEEX staff have had the chance to collaborate on a suit design that is significantly more cost effective and meets all of our usage needs; and with access to real-life use environments and feedback from its customers, Kappler was able to develop a more robust product that will soon replace its current training suit.

If you want to know more about hazmat training at TEEX or our new Kappler training suits, you can visit http://www.teex.org/hazmat.

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“Current models of the new suit have lasted more than 20 uses”

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New HazMat suits receive a vigorous workout from TEEX HazMat course participants.

—Dr. Elizabeth Morris, Training Manager, TEEX (ESTI)

At the annual Spring School in March, Brayton Fire Training

Field hosted the first delivery of TEEX’s new Industrial Emergencies for Municipal- Based Responders (IEMBR) courses. Jointly developed by ESTI’s Private-Sector and Extension programs, this pair of courses was created to fill a gap in the training available for members of the fire service in Texas.

Most response agencies are likely to encounter events beyond the typical structure

fire. This could include facilities such as oil-drilling and oil production sites, remote bulk tank storage areas, pipelines, various containers and means of transportation, agricultural facilities, or commercial retail supply and manufacturing facilities.

“Events involving industrial sites and materials present very different hazards from the types of fires municipal departments face most often,” says ESTI Director Robert Moore. “Many respond-ers don’t have access to the

specialized training that can help them make life-saving decisions in an industrial setting. We’re trying to meet that need.”

The IEMBR program is designed for anyone in a municipal department who does not deal with industrial facilities and industrial emergency response on a daily basis. In order to better meet the training needs of these individuals, the pro-gram is split into two courses.

Phase I is a 16-hour aware-ness-level class that can be

“Events involving industrial sites and materials present very different hazards from the types of fires municipal departments face most often.” —Chief Robert Moore, ESTI Director

taught at any facility, and is struc-tured so it can be delivered in four-hour increments, this means that a department can have the training delivered over two full days, or four evenings over a longer period of time. This course defines unique considerations for firefighters at industrial incidents and covers hazard recognition and decision-making. It is designed to promote a change in thought processes and help responders base their strategies and tactics on a sound evaluation of event conditions.

The course focuses heavily on safety considerations and the im-portance of recognizing whether a fire can or cannot be mitigated with available resources.

Phase II is also a 16-hour class, and is designed to build on the classroom work in Phase I utilizing hands-on application. Participants spend most of the class time engaged in live-fire practice of the principles they have learned. The scenarios are designed to make use of the industrial burn props and Brayton Fire Training Field, but this course can be taught at any fire fields or

burn facilities that can meet the basic teaching objectives of the course.

IEMBR is different from any other training program available, and, by making Phase I available through its Extension program, TEEX is hoping to get this valu-able information in the hands of firefighters in all corners of the state. If you’d like more information about these courses and how to get them in your jurisdiction, you can contact the TEEX Extension program at (866) 878-8900 or esti@teex.tamu.edu.

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—Bobbi Evanicky, Associate Training Specialist, TEEX (ESTI)

Phillips 66 has committed $500,000 over five years to support future expan-

sion at the Brayton Fire Training Field. This will allow TEEX to further enhance its training of first responders in the protec-tion of critical infrastructure.

“Phillips 66 is excited to partici-pate in the growth and continu-ous improvement of the Brayton Fire Training Field,” said Bob Herman, Senior Vice President, Health, Safety and Environment, Projects and Procurement for Phillips 66. “For more than 25 years, Texas A&M Industrial Fire School has provided our company with critical, hands-on training, allowing our personnel to safely respond to incidents and help us to deliver on our values of safety, honor and commitment.”

“This unprecedented donation provides an exceptional oppor-

tunity to enhance the variety of real-world training provided by TEEX instructors,” said Division Director Robert Moore, Chief of the Brayton Fire Training Field. “In the past three years, Brayton Fire Training Field has expanded from 120 acres to 296 acres, creating a remarkable opportunity to expand the number of training props and better meet the needs of a wide range of clients from around the world.”

“This multi-year donation from Phillips 66 will allow us to expand our industrial training program and facilities, which benefits employees of Phillips 66 and all of the firefighters who come here for our comprehensive, hands-on emergency response training. We continue to be committed to serving our customer’s needs and advancing the fire service as a whole,” Moore added.

field notesWhat’s happening here at ESTI

Visitors to Disaster City for the next few months may notice a lot of construc-

tion activity happening off to the south. In late November of 2012, TEEX purchased 17.8 acres next to the existing Disaster City facility and started working on an expan-sion plan with two goals: to consolidate all of the Rescue program props and training in one location on the field, and to

lay the infrastructure groundwork for additional longer-term construction projects.

On March 17, part one of the ex-pansion began with work on the new roadway system to support this training area. In addition to the roads themselves, work will be done on concrete pads for buildings, a site drainage system of culverts and drop inlets with

traffic-rated gates, a laydown area for concrete training materi-als, and an overflow parking lot. Crews will also be installing pipe chases to facilitate the expansion of utilities into the new areas.

The roadway construction is expected to be completed in July of 2014. Keep an eye out for more information as the rescue expansion continues.

MAY 19–23FIRE SERVICE CHIEF EXECU-TIVE OFFICER

The FSCEO program is held

in conjunction with the Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and is delivered by their professors.

JULY 6–11ANNUAL SPANISH SCHOOL

Registration is now open for

Spanish Annual School. Go to www.teex.org/annualschools to learn more and to register.

JULY 13–18ANNUAL INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL

Registration is now open for

Industrial Annual School. Go to www.teex.org/annualschools to learn more and to register.

JULY 20–25ANNUAL MUNICIPAL SCHOOL

Registration is now open for

Municipal Annual School. Go to www.teex.org/annualschools to learn more and to register.

JAN 12–14 LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM

Heading to San Marcos, Texas,

the Symposium offers a great opportunity to earn continuing education credit.

Visit us at these upcoming Conferences

FDIC april 7–12 Indianapolis, IN

Baylor Symposium april 21 Dallas, TX

International Oil Spill may 5–8 Savannah, GA

TDEM may 12–15 San Antonio, TX

IAFC HazMat may 29–june 1 Baltimore, MD

SFFMA june 6–11 Lubbock, TX

Fire Rescue Intern’l august 13–16 Dallas, TX

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Phillips 66 Commits $500,000 to Brayton Fire Training Field Expansion

Rescue Road Expansion Begins

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Emergency Services Training Institute [ESTI] P.O. Box 40006

College Station, TX 77842-4006

esti@teex.tamu.edu 866-878-8900

e m e r g e n c y s e r v i c e s t r a i n i n g i n s t i t u t e