EVFD Awards Scholarship

The Volunteer Fire Department recently awarded its first recruitment and retention scholarship to Eric Rosner of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 

The scholarship program is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) $112,500 grant, which the EVFD received in 2010. 

The purpose of the scholarship program is to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters by helping to offset their educational expenses in exchange for serving the fire department. 

Rosner’s is the first such scholarship to be administered by the EVFD under the program. 

“The FEMA money has enabled us to focus on fighting the current trend of declining fire department membership in a way that we have not been able to previously,” said Ben Reynolds, chairman of EVFD’s Morale, Recruitment and Retention Committee. “In addition to subsidizing scholarships, the SAFER grant also supports activities to retain the firefighters we recruit, as well as attract new members, supporting training expenditures, and providing firefighter health and safety programs without sacrificing our operational funds.” 

In addition to being the first scholarship recipient, Rosner, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, is also a live in member at EVFD and provides fire services in exchange for free room in the fire department living quarters.