Rockland County presented its first college scholarships to emergency responders under the Higher Education Recruitment & Retention Opportunities (HERRO) program.
HERRO provides college tuition assistance for volunteer fire fighters and emergency medical services workers. Under the program Aidan Carton, a Nyack Fire Department volunteer, received a $1,585.00 reimbursement for his education at Alfred College of Technology and Dylan Habif, a Nanuet EMS volunteer, received a $2,285.00 reimbursement for his education at the University of Buffalo.
Separately, the county government also partnered with Rockland Community College to launch the Educational Development & Growth for Emergency Services (EDGES) program, which waives tuition to the college for volunteer emergency responders.
“To our first responders know that we appreciate all that you do, and this is our way of saying thank you,” said County Executive Ed Day.
“These programs are a great way to assist fire departments and ambulance corps in recruiting and retaining volunteers,” added Fire and Emergency Services Director Chris Kear. “Supporting our volunteers is also crucial to maintaining these voluntary services which save taxpayers a lot of money.”
