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Join us for the 2022 TEEX Leadership Development Symposium!

Symposium Information

If you previously registered for the postponed January Symposium, you must re-register for the May Symposium. 

May 17-19, 2022
Tuesday through Thursday
Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center 
San Marcos, Texas

No Admission Fee for Texas Emergency Response Personnel.
$150 for out-of-state attendees.

Reserve your Room

A special symposium room rate is available at three different hotels: Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center (host hotel), Holiday Inn Express San Marcos, Holiday Inn San Marcos Convention Center

Book your room now! The blocks typically fill up fast.

If you have any questions about registration or hotels please contact:

Email: Leadership.Symposium@teex.tamu.edu

Phone: 866-878-8900

Check out our Speakers!

Casey Nash, MPA, FSCEO
Division Chief
Wylie Fire Rescue (TX)

Mental Health is a Problem, so What’s my Responsibility?

By now you have heard the mental health statistics. If you have spent any amount of time in public safety you have probably experienced them within your own organization. We continue to lose more firefighters to suicide than those that die while carrying out their duties. Knowing that there is a mental health problem is the first step. Understanding how to manage it in your department is another. Getting a firefighter help in a true time of need can be a daunting challenge. But let’s keep it simple. The firefighter and the organization both have responsibilities.

First, the firefighter plays the largest role in their mental health. Financial decisions, nutrition, exercise, alcohol consumption, hobbies, relationships and sleep are just a few factors that firefighters must have some control over. Handling personal business shouldn’t just be a recommendation that we make to our new firefighters, it should become part of our culture.  Employees need to hear this message the moment they walk in the door and they need to be held responsible for it. If you are messed up before you join the fire service, you are only going to get worse. This is an incredibly demanding job that can chip away at the most solid foundation. The fire service cannot be viewed as a means to repair an unhealthy personal life.

The second step falls on the organization. We must have both preventative care and post care in place for our employees. This is not a third parties’ responsibility. It is the responsibility of the fire chief.  It is not enough to simply have access to the EAP. Today we are blessed with amazing resources that are flexible and affordable. Counseling teams now exist that specialize in the intricacies of public safety life. Develop a PEER Support team, a CISM team or both. This training is not rocket science. If you have employees that care about their brothers and sisters, you have all of the resources you need. This team is just as important as a special operations team and they should be viewed that way. The mental health team has a tremendous possibility of saving a life.  Grab someone else’s SOG or policy and see what works for you. There are amazing examples of these teams throughout our state.

Don’t get overwhelmed or bogged down with all of the options, acronyms and hurdles that exist with mental health. I promise that you have a couple of firefighters that are passionate in this area and will hit the ground running if they are given direction. Do not wait until the emergency exists. The time to act is now.

To be eligible for TCOLE CE credit, attendees must sign in to the TEEX student portal and make sure your TCOLE number is listed on your account. If you need assistance, drop by the On-Site Registration Desk for more information.

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