Incentive program for volunteers firefighters still pending

A incentive program that would provide tuition reimbursement to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians was approved by the Nassau County legislature last year. But due to the economic crisis and a lack of funding, the program has yet to take off.

The program would reimburse Nassau County firefighters and EMTs who are also attending school in the county up to $4,000 per year to cover tuition costs, provided they maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher. New recruits and existing members would be eligible for the program.

The county's Office of Emergency Management is in charge of implementing the program and applying for federal grants to support it, explained OEM Commissioner James Callahan. Although the program was created by the legislature, it will not be funded by the county, and will rely on federal funds to maintain it. Callahan said OEM applied for $1.4 million this past December through the federal SAFER grant, which was designed to support programs that help recruit and retain firefighters. At the end of January, Senator Charles Schumer announced that he is supporting the application, and Callahan hopes that backing will help push the application through more quickly, hopefully by the spring.

In a press release, Schumer called the incentive program a “win-win” for Nassau County. “It will help recruit a new wave of local firefighters and first responders to keep our communities safe, it will help middle class families pay for college, and it will ease the burden on local taxpayers by encouraging more people to volunteer,” he said, adding that he will do all that he can to make sure the county receives the funding to support the program.