Texas Engineering Extension Service
Encyclopedia
Texas Engineering Extension Service, abbreviated TEEX, is a state agency that offers training programs and technical assistance to public safety
workers, both in Texas and around the world. Established in 1940 as the Industrial Extension Service, the agency took on its current name when it joined the Texas A&M University System
in 1948. The agency sponsors the state's primary urban search and rescue
force, Urban Search and Rescue Texas Task Force 1
, and operates the Brayton Fire Training Field, the largest firefighting training facility in the United States that also contains a mock city for conducting training operations for emergency responders.
. Despite its name, the college taught no agricultural classes, leading to protests by farmer groups and much of college's leadership being replaced. Other land-grant colleges around the country were also struggling, as farmers felt they had little incentive to adopt intensive farming methods and other advanced agricultural technologies. In response to the growing criticisms and lack of agricultural research being conducted, Congress passed the Hatch Experiment Station Act of 1887
, which provided funding for agricultural experiment stations in each state. This led to the founding of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in 1887, tasked with conducting research in all aspects of crop and livestock operations. While considered a big step towards improving farming, they stations struggled to effectively communicate their findings to farmers. In 1903, Seaman Asahel Knapp (1831–1911), a US Department of Agriculture agent, created a demonstration farm, where he could show other farmers how new farming techniques and production methods could benefit them. His success got Congress' notice and led to the passing of the Smith-Lever Act on May 8, 1914, which gave states the ability to establish official extension agencies affiliated with their land-grant universities to help "extend" the research findings of the colleges and Experiment Stations in practical ways that helped the citizens in every county. Texas quickly took advantage of this new act and formed the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in the same year, associating it with Texas A.M.C.
Three years later, Congress passed the Smith-Hughes Act
for establishing public vocational technical training. A.M.C. began offering a limited industrial teacher training service. In 1919, the school began offering the Trade and Industrial Teacher Training Service. Supervised by the schools Agricultural Education department, the program was designed to train industry professionals to teach trade and industrial courses at Texas public schools. The School of Vocational Training took over the program in 1924, with the offerings split into three departments Rural Education, Agricultural Education and Industrial Education. The Industrial Education department offers training conferences for oil field foremen, covering topics related to job planning and work supervision. The legislature and the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association established a firefighter training school at the school in 1929. With the closing of the Vocational Training school in 1935, the Industrial Education department moved to the Engineering school.
The Industrial Extension Service was founded in August 1940 and began offering training programs to water and sewage plant operators, custodial workers, police officer
s, firefighter
s, emergency medical technician
s, and automobile mechanics. The firefighter school was merged into the agency in 1947. In July 1948, Texas A&M formed the Texas A&M University System
, incorporating seven related agencies, including the Industrial Extension Service which was renamed to the Texas Engineering Extension Service. The agency was charged with "providing occupational and technical training services on an extension basis to the citizens of Texas".
and is overseen by the university's board of regents. The agency is composed of eight divisions: the Emergency Services Training Institute, Infrastructure Training & Safety Institute, National Emergency Response & Rescue Training Center, Professional & Regulatory Training, Public Safety & Security, Technology & Economic Development, Urban Search & Rescue, and Communications & Production. It maintains an office in Galveston, and has training facilities in Abilene
, Arlington
, Corpus Christi
, Houston, and San Antonio.
In 1993, the agency had an annual operating budget of $
38 million and conducted some 5,700 training classes attended by 120,000 students. By 2009, its budget had grown to $82.6 million, and had reached some 195,000 students through over 5,400 classes. The agency's current director is Gary F. Sera, who became the director in December 2007 after having served as the agency's interim director for nine months. Serving under the director are the deputy director, four associate agency directors, and seven division heads.
Adjacent to the site is "Disaster City," a 52 acre (0.21043672 km²; 0.0812500718391329 sq mi) mock city that serves as a training facility for emergency responders. Costing $7.7 million to construct, the city was built in 1998 in direct response to the Oklahoma City Bombing
which then director G. Kemble Bennett felt highlighted the need for "a world-class facility to train responders in near-lifelike conditions." The city acts as the main training location for Texas Task Force 1, and features collapsible structures that are designed to simulate various kinds of disasters and wreckage. It also provides complex interactive disaster scenarios for state and federal urban search and rescue teams, U.S. military CERFP and WMD-Civil Support Team
teams, Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Team
(DMAT) and NVRT teams, and other specialized international search and rescue teams.
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
workers, both in Texas and around the world. Established in 1940 as the Industrial Extension Service, the agency took on its current name when it joined the Texas A&M University System
Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
in 1948. The agency sponsors the state's primary urban search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
force, Urban Search and Rescue Texas Task Force 1
Urban Search and Rescue Texas Task Force 1
Texas Task Force 1, abbreviated TX-TF1, is a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force based in Texas and is sponsored by the state. It consists of a Type I and a Type III Urban Search and Rescue Team as well as a Water Rescue Task Force. Organized in 1997, it is made up of responders from over 60...
, and operates the Brayton Fire Training Field, the largest firefighting training facility in the United States that also contains a mock city for conducting training operations for emergency responders.
History
The first step towards the formation of the Texas Engineering Extension Service was the passing of the Morrill Land-Grant College Act in 1862, which led to the founding of several land-grant colleges, including the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1871, which would later be known as Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. Despite its name, the college taught no agricultural classes, leading to protests by farmer groups and much of college's leadership being replaced. Other land-grant colleges around the country were also struggling, as farmers felt they had little incentive to adopt intensive farming methods and other advanced agricultural technologies. In response to the growing criticisms and lack of agricultural research being conducted, Congress passed the Hatch Experiment Station Act of 1887
Hatch Act of 1887
The Hatch Act of 1887 gave federal funds, initially of $15,000 each, to state land-grant colleges in order to create a series of agricultural experiment stations, as well as pass along new information, especially in the areas of soil minerals and plant growth...
, which provided funding for agricultural experiment stations in each state. This led to the founding of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in 1887, tasked with conducting research in all aspects of crop and livestock operations. While considered a big step towards improving farming, they stations struggled to effectively communicate their findings to farmers. In 1903, Seaman Asahel Knapp (1831–1911), a US Department of Agriculture agent, created a demonstration farm, where he could show other farmers how new farming techniques and production methods could benefit them. His success got Congress' notice and led to the passing of the Smith-Lever Act on May 8, 1914, which gave states the ability to establish official extension agencies affiliated with their land-grant universities to help "extend" the research findings of the colleges and Experiment Stations in practical ways that helped the citizens in every county. Texas quickly took advantage of this new act and formed the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in the same year, associating it with Texas A.M.C.
Three years later, Congress passed the Smith-Hughes Act
Smith-Hughes Act
The Smith-Hughes National Vocational Education Act of 1917 was an act of the United States Congress that promoted vocational agriculture to train people "who have entered upon or who are preparing to enter upon the work of the farm," and provided federal funds for this purpose...
for establishing public vocational technical training. A.M.C. began offering a limited industrial teacher training service. In 1919, the school began offering the Trade and Industrial Teacher Training Service. Supervised by the schools Agricultural Education department, the program was designed to train industry professionals to teach trade and industrial courses at Texas public schools. The School of Vocational Training took over the program in 1924, with the offerings split into three departments Rural Education, Agricultural Education and Industrial Education. The Industrial Education department offers training conferences for oil field foremen, covering topics related to job planning and work supervision. The legislature and the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association established a firefighter training school at the school in 1929. With the closing of the Vocational Training school in 1935, the Industrial Education department moved to the Engineering school.
The Industrial Extension Service was founded in August 1940 and began offering training programs to water and sewage plant operators, custodial workers, police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s, firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s, emergency medical technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
s, and automobile mechanics. The firefighter school was merged into the agency in 1947. In July 1948, Texas A&M formed the Texas A&M University System
Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
, incorporating seven related agencies, including the Industrial Extension Service which was renamed to the Texas Engineering Extension Service. The agency was charged with "providing occupational and technical training services on an extension basis to the citizens of Texas".
Organization model
Texas Engineering Extension Service operates as part of the Texas A&M University SystemTexas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
and is overseen by the university's board of regents. The agency is composed of eight divisions: the Emergency Services Training Institute, Infrastructure Training & Safety Institute, National Emergency Response & Rescue Training Center, Professional & Regulatory Training, Public Safety & Security, Technology & Economic Development, Urban Search & Rescue, and Communications & Production. It maintains an office in Galveston, and has training facilities in Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, Houston, and San Antonio.
In 1993, the agency had an annual operating budget of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
38 million and conducted some 5,700 training classes attended by 120,000 students. By 2009, its budget had grown to $82.6 million, and had reached some 195,000 students through over 5,400 classes. The agency's current director is Gary F. Sera, who became the director in December 2007 after having served as the agency's interim director for nine months. Serving under the director are the deputy director, four associate agency directors, and seven division heads.
Brayton Fire Training Field
Brayton Fire Training Field is a 120 acre (0.4856232 km²; 0.187500165782614 sq mi) live-fueled firefighter training facility constructed by the Texas Engineering Extension Service. The largest in the United States, the facility has 132 training stations and 22 fueled live-fire props, including full-scale buildings, tanks, and a ship, that enable trainees to go through life-like simulations. More than 4,000 firefighters and emergency workers visit the facility in the summer for its annual Texas Fire Training Schools.Adjacent to the site is "Disaster City," a 52 acre (0.21043672 km²; 0.0812500718391329 sq mi) mock city that serves as a training facility for emergency responders. Costing $7.7 million to construct, the city was built in 1998 in direct response to the Oklahoma City Bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
which then director G. Kemble Bennett felt highlighted the need for "a world-class facility to train responders in near-lifelike conditions." The city acts as the main training location for Texas Task Force 1, and features collapsible structures that are designed to simulate various kinds of disasters and wreckage. It also provides complex interactive disaster scenarios for state and federal urban search and rescue teams, U.S. military CERFP and WMD-Civil Support Team
Civil Support Team
A Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team advises civilian responders in the event of a suspected weapon of mass destruction attack. A CST is a federally funded National Guard unit established under Presidential Decision Directive 39. There are 57 fulltime teams: one in every U.S...
teams, Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Team
Disaster Medical Assistance Team
A Disaster Medical Assistance Team is a group of professional and para-professional medical personnel organized to provide rapid-response medical care or casualty decontamination during a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other incident in the United States...
(DMAT) and NVRT teams, and other specialized international search and rescue teams.
External links
- The Disneyland of Disaster - slideshow by Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...