Great news for volunteer firefighters in New York: the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, also known as FASNY, offers up to 100% tuition reimbursement at a New York community college by maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements in a volunteer fire company for up to 80 college credits–ultimately, an Associate’s degree.
While the sacrifices that volunteer firefighters across the state make every single day are characterized by humility, fire departments across New York are in real, critical demand to recruit steady working members. So the aim, FASNY says, is to recruit and retain men and women to fulfill this need.
This tuition reimbursement program covers all 30 SUNY community colleges.
As a bonus, the program also covers online courses taken through Empire State College, which expands students’ options because, in conjunction with Open SUNY, students can earn a college degree on their own schedule.
And the FASNY tuition reimbursement program is a perfect fit; as part of SUNY’s continued pursuit to fufill the needs to New Yorkers, 13 different colleges (mostly community colleges) offer programs centered around fire safety and prevention.
FASNY is an organization that prides itself informing, educating and training the volunteer fire service since 1872; they provide volunteer fire and emergency medical service members with the information, education and training they believe they need to succeed.
The application is on the FASNY website and the deadline to apply for the scholarship is usually in February.
ICYMI: @NYGovCuomo: Free SUNY, CUNY Tuition to STEM Students in Top 10% of HS Class http://t.co/H6QHmLiETf pic.twitter.com/SN2OKFilpf
— State U of New York (@SUNY) June 4, 2014
As SUNY takes aim at graduating 150,000 students per year by 2020, we are asking the State to #InvestinSUNY by enabling us to create for our campuses an Investment Fund to support the scale up of evidence-based programs known to support student success. We are also seeking an extension of NYSUNY 2020 and rational tuition. Students want a continued rational tuition policy so they can plan to finance the full, known cost of a full degree program – but they can only commit to their share if the state also does its part.
Learn more at suny.edu/invest
Ya that is a great deal for kids going to collegenow, but it’s a shame that they won’t do anything for the volunteers fire fighters who started doing this after they finished college and collected a shit tone of student lones!!!
Can a volunteer fireman get a four year degree from SUNY Albany ?
Thank you for this article. Can you attend SUNY at Albany and get a four-year degree?
What about Fire Police?
Are there any age restrictions?
Hi Tina, according to FASNY: To participate in FASNY HELP you must be an active volunteer firefighter in good standing. Student-volunteers must re-apply each semester they with to participate in FASNY HELP. Here’s the link where you can download the handbook and application form: https://fasny.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/FASNY_HELP_Handbook_12-5-17.pdf
Can I continue on as I have a AOS?
What about volunteer support personnel?
What’s a volunteer support person?
EMTs are able, through SUNY Empire State College, to bring in up to 30 introductory credits depending on the level of certification:
First Responder: 2 cr.
EMT-Basic: 5 cr.
EMT-Intermediate: 10 cr.
EMT-CC: 13 cr.
EMT-Paramedic: 4 cr.
Credits are cumulative, so if you had the Intermediate certification, you’d get the 10, plus the 5, plus the 2.
I neglected to add the credit for Paramedic. Make that *34* credits, not 30. No additional cost or fees, just need to be a matriculated student.
Does the free tuition apply to a volunteer and/or employee who served many years but is medically no longer able to, but, is in need of a higher education to swtch careers?
Great question Nancy. EMS make up the VAST majority of emergency calls. It would seem to me a very short step to include volunteer EMT’s, Medics and Drivers in this important benefit. PS – as the population ages the number of EMS calls is only going to go UP as time goes on. Word to the wise – Get this done like NOW.
What about volunteer emts and medics?