Document text
Scholarship offered for fire candidates By Caitlin Fowlkes for the Tidings Apr 06, 2020 01:06 PM A A The Ashland Firefighters Association is offering a new $500 scholarship to people interested in a career and in the fire and EMS field. The William S. and Kristine Ann Phillips scholarship is endowed by a former Ashland firefighter and his wife. Ashland firefighter and scholarship panel member Ron Garfas-Knowles said the goal is to focus primarily on the Ashland community “to develop local students to provide fire and EMS services in Ashland.” The scholarship is a one-time fund for eligible candidates, but the association hopes to see the funds grow in coming years so it can become a renewable scholarship. All incoming Ashland firefighters are required to be certified paramedics. “To be a firefighter it takes a willingness to give to the community at all hours of the day and night,” Garfas-Knowles said. “It takes a self starter, you have to maintain discipline and maintain a state of readiness of your gear and yourself.” He said ideal candidates will have a strong sense of community, be teamwork-oriented, a quick learner, have strong problem-solving capabilities and a desire to continue their education. Preferred candidates will have a GPA of 2.5 or higher; have completed a minimum of 50 hours of community service; demonstrated leadership in school and community activities; and show a strong desire to help people in emergency situations. Applicants must attend or plan to attend an accredited program in fire science or emergency medical services. The application requires a short document packet and a community service log to be filled out, transcripts of the last six semesters, a 500-word essay and an oral interview to be scheduled at a later date. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 1. The scholarship panel, consisting of three Ashland firefighters, will review applications and select recipients. Due to social distancing requirements, Garfas-Knowles said, interested candidates should download the application documents from the Ashland Firefighters Association Facebook page @ashlandfirefighterslocal1269. For more information, call 541-482-2770. Contact Ashland Tidings freelancer Caitlin Fowlkes at [email protected]. IMG-3236.jpg