Zachary Urda of Greene To Receive College Tuition Reimbursement as Part of FASNY’s Higher Education Learning Plan For Volunteer Firefighters
The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) is offering its historic educational initiative called the FASNY Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP), a statewide community college tuition reimbursement program geared towards recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters throughout New York, for the third semester. Due to a variety of factors, many volunteer fire departments are experiencing a need to recruit and retain more members. FASNY believes tuition reimbursement can be an effective incentive for people to volunteer in their local community. More than 250 students across the Empire State had applied to participate in the program for the fall and spring semesters from more than 20 community colleges. The deadline to apply for tuition reimbursement for the fall semester is October 1st.
“FASNY HELP not only serves as a motivation for students to give back to their communities, but it also emphasizes the value and importance of education,” said FASNY President David Jacobowitz, who officially announced the initiative at FASNY’s annual convention in August of 2011. “We are very excited to continue offering this important tuition incentive as young, strong men and women are the future of the volunteer fire service.”
Zachary Urda, 20, of Greene, is one of several students in the region who applied for tuition reimbursement for the spring 2012 semester, as part of the FASNY HELP initiative. A member of the Greene Fire Department, Zachary is a student at Broome Community College and is majoring in Liberal Arts. He decided to become a volunteer firefighter after watching his father, a lieutenant, in action and joined the department at age 16. Zachary is also a member of the Greene Emergency Squad Inc. He says that the tuition reimbursement is a great help.
Under FASNY HELP, an individual who hasn’t already achieved a college degree or has not taken 80 or more college credits can have up to 100% of his/her tuition reimbursed in exchange for maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements in one of New York’s volunteer fire companies. There is no restriction on the type of academic course(s) that the FASNY HELP student/volunteer firefighter can pursue on a full-time or part-time basis.
FASNY HELP funds can be utilized for tuition costs incurred in the fall and spring semesters. Eligible student/volunteers must maintain acceptable volunteer activity and training levels while attending school and fulfill a service requirement after they complete their course of study. They must attend the closest community college or one within a 50-mile radius of their residence.
“We are in need of dedicated volunteers to serve their local communities, as the number of volunteer firefighters has declined over the last few years,” said George Davenport, Chairman of FASNY’s Recruitment and Retention Committee. “We encourage students to take advantage of FASNY HELP, a key aspect of FASNY’s multi-pronged recruitment and retention campaign.”
FASNY HELP is made possible by the $4.2 million dollar U.S. Department of Homeland Security Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded to FASNY last year. For more information about FASNY HELP, please visit www.fasny.com or www.fireinyou.org.