Local firefighter recipient of tuition reimbursement

ROUSES POINT — Good grades and status as a firefighter won Sebastian Barie 85 percent reimbursement of his fall-semester tuition at Clinton Community College.

The Rouses Point Volunteer Fire Department member, who scored a 3.56 grade-point average, hopes to earn all the reimbursement he can through the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.

“This makes me feel like I can do a lot more things than I planned on doing with a college bill,” said Barie, 18, one of three in the area to receive the reimbursement for the fall semester.

He said he heard about their Higher Education Learning Plan, HELP, from the newspaper and couldn’t wait to apply.

“I didn’t think anyone else in my firehouse applied for it, so I was pretty confident,” Barie said.

A HELPFUL PROGRAM

The Learning Plan, which pays up to 80 credit hours at community colleges located specific distances from the applicants’ homes, was announced in 2011 as the state’s first program geared toward recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters throughout New York. A press release said that tuition reimbursement could be an effective incentive for people to volunteer in their local communities.

The program is funded through a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Nearly 100 firefighters were recipients for the fall semester.

If firefighters have a grade-point average between 2.0 and 2.99, they get 75 percent of their tuition reimbursed; 85 percent is covered for averages between 3.0 and 3.99; and those who score a 4.0 get full reimbursement.

“Now, more than ever, we need dedicated volunteers serving our communities so that an optimal level of fire and emergency protection can be provided to the citizens of the state,” George Davenport, chairman of the association’s Recruitment and Retention Committee, said in a press release.

Jeff Jacques, a local Firemen’s Association representative and a member of the Lake Placid Fire Department, said it is difficult to pull in volunteers; he thinks the program is one of the greatest he has seen.

“We have to rely on volunteers to protect our communities, so a program like this hopefully will bring in youngsters who are going to college … It’s good (for) recruitment and retention.”

He hopes students who are graduating this year in his community will consider joining the department, going to school locally and applying for the tuition reimbursement program.

APPROVED

Barie didn’t get a response from his fall-semester application for two months, but he finally received a letter saying he was approved.

His major is criminal justice, which he intends to use as a backup degree; he said he hopes to become a highly-trained emergency medical technician.

The Rouses Point man said he always played with fire trucks as a boy, and when he turned 16, he jumped at the chance to join the department as a junior firefighter. Now, two years later, he is an active part of the fire company.

“Joining firefighters, it’s a story in itself,” he said.

“There’s nothing that compares to it.

“I recommend everyone do it.”