Scio Township Firefighter Continues his Education

Scio Township is giving township firefighter Michael Simpson a helping hand as he looks to earn his college degree.

In keeping with township policy and goals, the Scio Township Board at their last meeting in December approved providing educational assistance in the amount of $17,380 for firefighter Simpson. The $17,380 is for two years. The Township Supervisor and Fire Chief recommended approval of this request.

The Sun Times News followed up with Scio Township Fire Chief Andrew Houde to learn more about this educational assistance.

Houde said “Scio Township has a strong educational assistance policy and believes in helping its employees better themselves through training and education.”

In his report to the township board, Houde said, “Firefighter (FF) Michael Simpson is nearing the end of his probation period and intends to return to college to obtain a bachelor’s degree. FF Simpson currently has one half of the credits necessary for the degree and is officially listed as a Junior at the college. Upon completion, FF Simpson will have a BS (Bachelor of Science) in Emergency Management/Fire Science, which aligns with the department’s goals. He anticipates that he can have the required classes completed in the next two years.”

Simpson is enrolled in Columbia Southern University, which is an online school.

Houde said there will be no change in Simpson’s schedule as the class “meets” online, with reading and writing assignments due weekly. However, it will involve added time during the workday spent completing the assignments along with daily training, station work, and emergency calls throughout the shift.

Simpson made a request for the help through a letter to Houde and Supervisor Jillian Kerry.

He said in his request letter the discipline of study would allow him to gain a base knowledge of principals and theory of managing numerous types of situations that could arise at any time in the emergency setting.

“The courses throughout the program will take me through a variety of different focused topics ranging from introduction of emergency management, leadership, disaster mitigation and preparedness to community risk reduction, terrorism and more,” Simpson said in the letter.

In summing up his educational goals, Simpson said, “As the department grows, I would like to grow with it, and this is one way of the many ways I would like to and intend on complimenting the growth of the department.”

To complete the program, Simpson needs to complete 20 classes or 60 credits. They currently cost $17,380, or approximately $870/class or $290/credit hour. The township said modification to this cost may be required if tuition costs increase over the term of the degree plan. This expense is allowable under both the Township Personnel policy and the Firefighters collective bargaining agreement.

Chief Houde said, “Both the emergency management and fire science coursework will increase his (Simpson’s) knowledge and better his decision-making abilities on the job. Additionally, we have increased educational standards for promotion through the ranks. This will give FF Simpson the college credits necessary to promote when the time comes for him to consider a leadership position in the department.” 

Photo: Scio Township Firefighter Michael Simpson. Photo courtesy of the Scio Township Fire Department