HELP grant aids fire company membership at critical time

In 2012, I worked with volunteer firefighters and the Firefighters Association of the State of New York to get Erie County included in the Higher Education Learning Plan grant, which was paid for with federal dollars. This is an important partnership for many reasons, but now a lack of Federal Emergency Management Agency funding has threatened this program.

The HELP grant pays the tuition for first-time students who also are rookies in their local volunteer fire company to attend Erie Community College. Through the HELP grant, the community’s volunteer firefighter base has grown at a time when we were seeing membership decline. Additionally, it brings in students to ECC, which has also seen a drop in enrollment over the years. It’s a win-win.

By building stronger volunteer fire companies, we are taking critical steps toward protecting our communities. We can’t thank our volunteers enough for what they do, from the members who have 30, 40 and even 50 years of service to the new rookies who decided to join through HELP.

HELP is working. In the first 12 semesters, there were more than 2,000 participants across New York state. This program is by no means a blank check. Students invest in themselves and pay for their ECC tuition upfront. They are then reimbursed through the FEMA grant, based on their grade-point average. Students who recorded the equivalent of an “A” get 100 percent reimbursed, “B” grades earn an 85 percent reimbursement and “C” averages result in a 75 percent reimbursement. They also must meet the standards of being an active firefighter with their department.

No matter how you look at this, HELP is just that: a huge help. I have talked with FASNY officials and volunteer firefighters who know this program is working. It is recruiting new members every semester, providing them a path to a good education and giving them another reason to invest in their community. We all benefit from the HELP grant program.

Unfortunately, the grant ran out in August 2015. Since that time, FASNY has been using its funds to reimburse students, but that isn’t feasible for the long run. In addition to meeting with FASNY, I am sponsoring a resolution for the Erie County Legislature’s April 6 session urging the federal government, through FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, to again fund HELP. This is not a handout, but an investment in our community’s future. We have had 174 students enroll in ECC. That also means we have had 174 new volunteers answer the call to protect our towns and villages.

I encourage my colleagues in the legislature to support my resolution and also ask our representatives in Congress to fight on behalf of our volunteer firefighters and see that FEMA funds the HELP grant through its SAFER program.