Nassau Volunteer Responders May Get Free College Forever

WANTAGH, NY — Nassau County lawmakers want to permanently fund — and expand — a tuition assistance program that allows volunteer first responders to obtain community college for free.

On Monday, Legislator Steve Rhoads, who is a 27-year veteran of the Wantagh Volunteer Fire Department, joined Richard Nicolello, the legislature's presiding officer, other members of the majority caucus and volunteer first responders to announce a newly proposed bill that would permanently fund tuition assistance for volunteer first responders at Nassau Community College.

The program, often called the SAFER grant, helps volunteer first responders attend the college for free and continue their education. More than 180 volunteer firefighters enrolled in the program in the fall of 2019, and 170 have enrolled this year.

The lawmakers said the new legislation comes amid possible threats to outside funding of tuition assistance. Last year, the Legislature voted to require the county to extend the program for the 2018-19 school year following threats to a federal grant that funds it.

But that legislation only applied to the 2018-19 school year.

Under the new bill, finding would be extended indefinitely, regardless of whether the grant exists. The new legislation would also expand the program to include auxiliary police officers and ambulance corps workers, who were previously not able to take advantage of the program.

Rhoads said in a news release the bill would help communities and young people and encourage more people to volunteer.

"Our volunteer firefighters, ambulance personnel and auxiliary police donate hundreds of thousands of hours to training and to the performance of their life-saving work each year for the benefit of all of Nassau County’s residents," he said.

Fellow Legislator William Gaylor III said volunteer firefighters, ambulance corps and auxiliary police officers provide a great service to our community, "often putting their lives on the line to keep us safe."

"These people are volunteers, and any help we can give them is the very least we can do," he said. "I am proud to support this legislation."