17 cadets graduate from Texas Division of Emergency Management Academy

AUSTIN, Texas - Seventeen cadets from the Texas Division of Emergency Management Academy celebrated their accomplishments after dedicating eight months in the academy.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to the first ever Texas Division of Emergency Management academy cohort graduation. We, the cadet class of zero 123, are all honored to have you here for this special occasion," said class president Bradly Burness.

"To the cadets: Wow. You made it. You made it through. More than 1400 hours of PowerPoint. Nice job," said David Covington, Director of the Emergency Management Academy.

This program is the first of its kind in the nation. The graduating class has taken all hazards training and well-rounded courses to prepare for any natural disaster Texas could see.

Governor Greg Abbott delivered the keynote address at the inaugural Texas Emergency Management Academy graduation ceremony.

"You have received training from some of the premier experts in the country, and you are being led by the premier expert in the country," said Governor Abbott.

Gov. Greg Abbott delivered the keynote address at the inaugural Texas Emergency Management Academy graduation ceremony.

"You are trained as a community emergency response team and as a continuity of operations practitioner level one. You've been busy. Very busy. And now you are ready to assist the citizens of the state of Texas in their time of need," said Covington.

This academy is to help prepare individuals for emergency management careers at TDEM.

Mathew Perrill, who graduated on Friday, shared how this academy helped him.

"Ah, it's been a long eight months. It's been, you know, sometimes, you know, hard. But I think my classmates and myself, it encourages buckled down we did we had to do, but I think finally that we have you know this eight-month done I think we're all excited to get to our new roles continue hope in Texas," said graduate Mathew Perrill.

The second cadet class of the academy begins September 2023 in San Antonio. Seating in this innovative emergency management academy is limited.

For other questions, please contact theacademy@tdem.texas.gov.