Chancellor John Sharp Discusses Strategies for Fighting Intensifying Wildfires in Panhandle

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Ahead of strengthening wildfires this weekend in Texas’ Panhandle, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp recently visited the Emergency Operations Center of the Texas A&M Forest Service and spoke with Fire Chief Mark Stanford about the fires in the High Plains and the important work of Texas’ firefighters.

Part of The Texas A&M University System, the Texas A&M Forest Service is in charge of fighting wildfires across the state and working with local fire departments to protect people and property. The Forest Service had predicted trouble in the region, and officials had pre-positioned equipment and had been coordinating with local fire departments in recent weeks.

“The Texas A&M University System is very proud of this group of men and women at the Texas A&M Forest Service,” Chancellor Sharp said. “They provide a vital service to all of us, and they have saved a lot of property and countless lives in the State of Texas.”

Crews have been hard at work in recent days in the Panhandle. They already have saved hundreds of homes and prevented the loss of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences in Amarillo.

See a video of Chancellor Sharp’s conversation with Chief Stanford and clips of firefighters and aircraft.

About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.55 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies, the Texas A&M System educates more than 152,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $972 million in FY 2016 and helped drive the state’s economy.

Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu