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The Battalion Weekly Magazine
August 6,1987
Bravton Fireman’s Training School
Where the heat is on
story and photos
by Carolyn Garcia
The black smoke rises in the sky
and the students moan, “The
firemen are back. ”
And back they come every
summer in droves and invade the
favorite bars and party spots of
Texas A&M students.
But what many students don’t
realize is that the visiting firefighters
descend upon the twin cities all
year long — 20,000 of them.
The Texas Engineering
Extension Service, (TEEX) which
proudly boasts of operating the
largest firefighter training school on
the continent, is keeping with the
Texas tradition of being biggest
and best.
More than 20,000 firefighting
students pass through the facility
each year, approximately 5,000 of
which hit the town during three
weeks in July.
The pride and joy of TEEX, the
Brayton Firemen Training Field,
trains more men and women than
any other fire service facility in the
world.
Fire Protection Training, the
division of TEEX which operates
the school, is enjoying something
of a break this week. After three
weeks of constant training,
questions and problem solving, the
staff is enjoying a week of
shoveling burnt, wet hay (which
makes for great, inexpensive
smoke), cleaning up, making
repairs and counting tools.
And next week it starts all over
again when a new class takes to
the field.
The school has managed to be
such a success for so long because
it thrives on a secret formula —
devotion.
In its 58 years, only three men
have stood at the helm. The late
Col. H.R. Brayton, whom the field
is named for, was the first.
Brayton, a chemistry professor
at A&M, served as not only the
school’s first director, but also as
one of the first instructors. In 1931,
the State Legislature officially
mandated the school, and the
growth and success of the fire
school spread like wildfire.
Brayton stepped down for a
Right: Firefighting
brigades battle the
blazes atone of the
larger projects at the
Brayton Firemen’s
Training Field.