AUSTIN, Texas — As Texas continues to grow, so does its need for emergency preparedness.
On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the graduation of 17 new cadets from the Texas Emergency Management Academy's inaugural class. The nation's first-of-its-kind program aims to train the next generation of the emergency management workforce in all phases of emergency management, including preparedness, hazard mitigation, response and recovery.
One of the reasons the governor said the academy is necessary is because Texas leads the nation in the most declared disasters.
"There's several reasons for it," Abbott said. "One is just the sheer size of the state. And then two is that kind of variations, the geographic variations we have in the state."
According to a release from Abbott's office, successful graduates of the 8-month academy gain basic knowledge of "emergency management planning, disaster finance, wildland firefighting, ambulance staging, Emergency Operations Center response management, hazard mitigation, risk assessments, disaster recovery, resource requests, operations technology, volunteer management, private sector partnerships, and other key aspects of emergency management."
Graduates also earn multiple emergency management certifications and leave the academy as certified basic emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who have achieved National Registry Certification.
The release stated that "more than 120 different subject matter experts provided in-depth classroom and hands-on training during the academy courses."
Abbott was joined at the graduation ceremony by Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd and other State and emergency management officials.