ORANGE BEACH, AL – More than 70 percent of fire departments are staffed entirely by volunteer firefighters. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the two biggest challenges for keeping these volunteer fire departments adequately staffed are retention and recruitment. Columbia Southern University (CSU), one of the nation’s first completely online universities, is partnering with organizations like the National Volunteer Fire Council (NFVC) to encourage those interested in serving as a volunteer firefighter by offering special educational discounts.
The partnership with CSU provides NVFC members, their spouses and children with special benefits including a tuition discount and application fee waiver. This nonprofit fire and emergency service organization will also be featured on the CSU website, in marketing materials, and at conferences and speaking engagements.
“We are very concerned about the challenges volunteer fire departments face with recruiting firefighters and keeping them on staff,” said Heather Schafer, Executive Director of the NVFC. “By offering resources to our members, such as the opportunity to earn a degree, we are increasing the number of volunteers that will join fire departments and potentially stay on board to serve their community.”
This nonprofit, national organization is the only one whose sole purpose is to represent volunteer fire, rescue and emergency medical services personnel (EMS). Membership includes almost 2,000 volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel in 49 states.
Since 1976, the Council has supported volunteer fire and EMS departments nationwide through education, advocacy, training, and resources. Many programs are offered to benefit volunteer firefighters, EMS personnel and the communities they protect.
The NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program is the only national program dedicated to saving firefighters and EMS personnel from their leading cause of on-duty death - heart disease. This program works to increase awareness on the importance of heart health by providing resources, tools, and tips that firefighters and their families can use to reduce the number of deaths from heart disease and heart attacks.
“As a partner of non-profit fire organizations such as the NVFC, our job is to help the associations support its members,” said Chantell Cooley, CSU Vice President of Partnership Development. “At CSU, we feel that providing a flexible, quality education is the least we can do to help the firefighters protecting our communities.”
New York Fire Department, Metro Atlanta Fire Chiefs Association, Frankfurt Fire and EMS, and Tulsa Fire Department are a few of more than 85 fire organizations partnered with CSU. CSU offers accredited online associate, bachelor and certificate programs in fire science. Other degree and certificate programs are also available.
For more information and a complete list of CSU partnerships, please visit www.columbiasouthern.edu/online/partners/ or call 1-800-344-5021.
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Since, online education are very much easy to access and to avail the different educational course program because the only main requirements that are needed are the computer gadgets and internet connection. With the convenience of online learning, it also offers an affordable educational expenditure rate compare to the campus based schools and for that, it allows individuals who came from a family of low income learners to forego their higher educational learning.
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