The Indiana Volunteer Firefighter’s Association and Ivy Tech have partnered to give volunteer first responders across the State of Indiana the chance to get a two-year degree at no charge.
Earlier this year, House Bill 1064, authored by State Representative Randy Frye, established that a public safety officer may be eligible for a scholarship for educational costs. The bill didn’t pass so Ivy Tech stepped in.
The community college says that as long as a candidate is enrolled as a degree seeking student and holds good standing with a volunteer fire department, they may be eligible to receive a two-year degree for free.
This applies to future and current Ivy Tech students, but those students must maintain satisfactorily academic progress, and the offer covers all courses offered by Ivy Tech, with the exception of Flight Aviation and General Studies.
“It is to address the shortage of volunteer first responders across the state,” said Steve Anderson, former president of the Indiana Volunteer Firefighter’s Association. “Actually, nationwide the number of volunteers has been decreasing. This is going to be a huge recruitment tool but it’s also available for the retention of the current members as well.”
This program will kick off in January of 2020 and those interested in the offer can find more information on the association’s website at www.ivfa.org or locally by contacting John Grolich in Plymouth at 574-933-3352.
