San Marcos hosts Texas Fire Chiefs Academy

Over the last week, fire chiefs and firefighters from across the state gathered at the Embassy Suites — socially distanced, of course — for the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy.

For many this week’s academy provided solace from the ongoing pandemic. With safe guidelines in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many fire officials from Texas were able to reconnect during the event.

“This year has been very interesting to say the least,” said Darren Brinkkoeter, Canyon Lake Fire & EMS fire chief. “Just bringing in all the different chiefs and more so just the speakers has been more so inspirationally battery charging. Getting us back on track. Getting that, ‘hey, yeah, we’re not all by ourselves.' We all have the same problems: budget cuts, budget issues and inventory issues. And just kind of putting our heads back together.”

The week-long event is conducted by the Texas Fire Chiefs Association and provides an opportunity to train those who are interested in becoming a fire chief. The academy is separated into two different years. Those who complete the program are honored in a graduation ceremony where they are named a Certified Fire Executive.

The academy provides learning sessions that examine leadership skills, fire station design, city politics and emergency management among a multitude of topics spread throughout the week.

“(The academy teaches) aspiring individuals within the fire service, whether they’re a captain, assistant chief, battalion chief, how to take that next step to become a fire chief,” said Clay Huckaby, TFCA president and Buda fire chief. “It’s teaching them the skills that they need to promote to that fire chief level as they look to advance their career in the future.”

The annual Texas Fire Chiefs Academy usually takes place in Garland but COVID-19 challenges prevented the organization from conducting its event in its usual location, said Les Stephens, San Marcos Fire Department chief.

Stephens stated that precautions being taken at the Embassy Suite allowed San Marcos to become this year’s host.

“It’s great to have it here,” said Stephens, who also serves as TFCA vice president. “More importantly, it’s just great that we’re able to have it. A lot of these folks have been at home for seven, eight months protecting their communities and haven’t had the opportunity to get out and network or do any kind of professional development. This is a condition for some of these guys for future promotions and job opportunities. So, it was important to get back on track and find a way to deliver the program for those guys that needed it.”

The academy had 77 individuals signed up for year one of the program and 41 individuals who attended and graduated from year two.

Ryan Arthur, who graduated from the program this year and serves as Division Chief Fire Operations at the Lake Worth Fire Department, said it’ll be great to bring back the experience he gained to the community he serves.

“It’s something to bring back to the community, everybody has a chance to bring back to the community, saying they’ve gone through a program that’s been vetted for several years,” Arthur said. “There’s a lot of things that you learn.”

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Twitter: @Nick_Castillo74