New Deadline for Firefighter Tuition Reimbursement Plan
ALBANY, NY – Many local volunteer fire departments are experiencing the need to recruit and retain more members.
To help, in 2011, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) unveiled an educational initiative called the FASNY Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP). It is statewide community college tuition reimbursement program that is geared towards recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters throughout the state.
On Monday, FASNY announced a deadline extension, to February 20th, for firefighters to apply for the new 2015 semester.
“FASNY HELP has been a tremendous success and a vital initiative for fire departments to boost their recruiting of the next generation of firefighters,” said FASNY President Robert McConville in a press release. “HELP funding comes from our federal SAFER grant, which has driven recruitment initiatives throughout the state.”
In order to be eligible for 100% tuition reimbursement under FASNY HELP, a person cannot have a college degree, or have taken 80 or more college credits. The only rule is students in the program must maintain good grades and fulfill service requirements in one of the state’s volunteer fire companies.
FASNY HELP funding comes from a $4.2 million dollar U.S. Department of Homeland Security Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant.