TEEX – Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service

When my job offered to send me to Texas for five days of emergency response training, my first thought was, «Hotel hot tub, per diem, and a week out of the office, here I come!» But then reality set in. Would this be a boring, acronym-​filled waste of time with a bunch of Republicans, involving bureaucratic forms and procedures and crappy fried food that would make me regret having left home for five days?
Not so. This was the best training I’ve ever been to. Excellent and modern facility, realistic exercises, highly interactive sessions, opportunities to provide feedback, and most of all, the most professional, engaging and experienced instructors you can imagine. One was the incident commander for the «Miracle on the Hudson,» to give an example. The guy has 30+ years with the NYPD (and a wicked cool Long Island accent).
I came away with a good understanding of how an emergency response works for a major incident, got to know my colleagues, and only gained three pounds from the fried pickles and jalapeños that I indulged on every night. Yee haw!
If you are fortunate to be given the opportunity to participate in a TEEX training, DO it!