Volunteer firefighters in St. Lawrence County and around the state have until Oct. 2 to apply for the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) tuition reimbursement program through their education initiative, the Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP).

This community college tuition reimbursement program is geared towards recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters throughout New York State.

Due to a variety of factors, many volunteer fire departments are experiencing the need to recruit and retain more members. Tuition reimbursement can be an effective incentive for people to volunteer in their local community.

“The FASNY HELP program has benefitted hundreds of dedicated firefighters serving communities across the state,” said FASNY President Robert McConville. “In addition to helping meet the staffing needs of local departments, a better educated firefighter is simply a better firefighter. For the student volunteers and the fire departments, this is the very definition of a ‘win-win’ situation.”

Under FASNY HELP, any active volunteer firefighter in good standing and who hasn’t already achieved a college degree is eligible for up to 100 percent tuition reimbursement. The reimbursement is 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 courses that the HELP student-volunteer can pursue, either on a full-time or part-time basis. FASNY HELP also covers online courses taken through Empire State College.

FASNY HELP funds can be utilized for tuition costs incurred in the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters. Eligible student-volunteers must maintain acceptable levels of training and volunteer activity while attending school and fulfill a service requirement after they complete their course of study. They must attend a chartered community college in the state; Empire State College’s inclusion in the program has expanded students’ location options.

The deadline to apply for tuition reimbursement for the fall semester is Oct. 2.

For more information on the FASNY HELP program, please visit http://www.fasny.com/help