Bucks County Community College, in collaboration with Republican State Sen. Frank Farry, and Bucks County Emergency Health Services, has launched a Fire and Emergency Services Co-Op Program for 12th-grade students.
Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, the no-cost educational program will be hosted at the Lower Bucks Public Safety Training Center in Bristol Township’s Croydon section.
The program will offer students 400 hours of industry training, nine college credits, and various professional certifications.
“The program will also be beneficial for students who want to get a jump-start on a college degree, want to be able to apply for a live-in program near a college or university, or those needing the industry minimum to get hired as an EMT, firefighter, dispatcher, nurse, physician assistant, and other similar careers. EMS providers, municipal fire departments, county 911 centers, and law enforcement agencies are always seeking qualified candidates with the type of skills the co-op offers,” according to a press release.
Farry, the long-serving volunteer chief of the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company and chair of the Senate Fire and EMS Caucus, has secured state funding for the developing the program.
“I know firsthand the difficulty our local volunteer fire departments have with recruitment and retention of new members,” said Farry. “I have been happy to champion legislation in Harrisburg to aide in these efforts and this new co-op program will be a fantastic opportunity for our students, while recruiting the next generation of volunteers to help protect our community.”
The program is open to any 12th grader in Bucks County.
Dr. Patrick Jones, president of Bucks County Community College, pointed to the dual benefits of the program.
“Bucks County Community College is committed to empowering students with real-world skills that lead to meaningful careers,” said Jones. “The Fire and Emergency Services Co-Op Program not only provides valuable training, but by partnering with local schools and industry leaders, we are ensuring that students receive a head start on both college and career pathways, all while serving a critical need in public safety.”
Local school districts, including Bristol Township and Neshaminy, are participants in the program.
The program comes as a response to the declining numbers of volunteer firefighters in the state, which has dropped from about 300,000 in the 1970s to 38,000 by 2018.
A 2018 state report, which was supported by Farry, noted that volunteers save the taxpayers enormous sums of money and should be supported by government incentives. Data from a 2018 federal report and county data found that a paid firefighter averaged a cost of $77,875 per year with benefits and not including gear.
With over 60 volunteer fire departments in Bucks County, and an increasing shift to include paid personnel, the program aims to stem the tide of declining volunteer numbers and ensure robust and responsive emergency services across the region.
As of 2019, there were approximated to be just over 1,200 volunteer firefighters in the county, according to data from the Bucks County Planning Commission’s “The Future of Bucks County’s Fire Services” report.
Bucks County has more than 60 volunteer fire departments and a growing number that used paid staff to man trucks, often during the busy daytime hours.
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