The Rockville Volunteer Fire Department provides its members with the unique opportunity of having a free place to live in exchange for service as a volunteer firefighter and/or emergency medical technician. With Montgomery College and many other institutions of higher education located within our first due or just a matter of few miles away, the Rockville VFD provides an excellent opportunity for those who wish to combine their college education with a thriving volunteer fire department. Members live in the bunkroom and are provided with a bed and adequate storage for personal belongings. Students are provided with desks, computers with internet access and a quiet work area in our stations.
The Live-In program at Rockville VFD provides members with the opportunity to gain significant firefighting and EMS experience in a relatively short period of time. Members of the department have come from Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and beyond to take advantage of our program. Not only do they take advantage of being in one of the busiest departments in America, but many participate in the Maryland Firefighter, Ambulance, and Rescue Squad Member Tuition Reimbursement Program. While the Maryland Tuition Reimbursement program for firefighters and EMT’s is only available for Fire Service and EMS related programs, student live-in members of Rockville VFD may be enrolled in any degree program.
No matter what our Live-In firefighters choose to study, they can be sure they can find it at many of our surrounding colleges and universities. Institutions. For more information contact our Live-In Membership Committee at live-in@rvfd.org or the Membership Committee at membership@rvfd.org.
Benefits
- Free Room
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Experience – Gain unparalleled experience at possibly the busiest volunteer fire department in the nation
- Free Training – Classes ranging from Fire Officer Development to Emegency Medical Technician – Paramedic
- Comradarie – Make life long friendships
- Internet and Computers Access
- Free Uniforms
- Tax Break – $3,500 Maryland state tax break after 3 years
- Fitness Equipment
- Location – 12 miles from Washington, D.C., 35 miles from Baltimore, and on the Metrorail Red Line.
- Retirement – LOSAP – Length of Service Awards Program
Requirements
- Members wishing to become a live-in or student live-in must submit a letter to the Fire Chief who will approve or deny the request and assign the member to a station preferably Station 3 or Station 33.
- Members under the age of 18 must provide a note from their parent or guardian giving permission to become a live-in or student live-in.
- The Chief’s recommendation will be based on the member’s minimum staffing capabilities, available space and seniority. Members who are not minimum staffing may be recommended for live-in or student live-in status depending on available slots.
- Live-in members are required to perform three extra shifts per week in addition to their reqular weekly shift.
- Live-in members must be enrolled in school or employed full time.
Who may apply: Active volunteer firefighters, ambulance or rescue squad members.
How to apply: Complete and file a Firefighter, Ambulance, and Rescue Squad Member Tuition Reimbursement application.
When to apply: By July 1
Eligible majors: Fire service technology and emergency medical technology.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
You must be an active volunteer firefighter, ambulance or rescue squad member. You must serve a Maryland community while you take college courses and continue to serve for another year after you complete the courses. You must attend a Maryland institution and enroll in a degree or certificate program in either fire service technology or emergency medical technology. You must be a Maryland resident to apply for this program.
Students may establish residency in Maryland while living at the one of Rockville Volunteer Fire Department’s firehouses.
AWARD AMOUNT
You will receive the actual dollar amount of tuition charges you have paid. Applicants must receive at least a grade of “C” or better in any course specifically required for program completion. The amount of the award may not exceed the equivalent annual tuition of a resident undergraduate student at the four-year public institution within the University System of Maryland, other than the University of Maryland University College and University of Maryland, Baltimore, with the highest annual expense for a full-time resident undergraduate. To renew an award, you must maintain the satisfactory academic progress standards of the institution you attend and remain enrolled in an eligible program.
SERVICE OBLIGATION
You must agree to serve a Maryland community as a volunteer firefighter or ambulance and rescue squad member while you take college courses. You must continue to serve for one year after you complete the courses. If you hold this scholarship with any other award requiring a service obligation, you must perform your service in consecutive years.
Campuses In Rockville
Montgomery College
Fire Science & Emergency Services Program
University of Maryland University College
Johns Hopkins University
Other Local Schools
American University
George Washington University
Emergency Health Services Program
Georgetown University
University of Maryland- Baltimore County
Emergency Health Services Program
University of Maryland- College Park
Rockville, the county seat of Montgomery County, occupies an area of 13.03 square miles amid the rolling hills of west-central Maryland. It is 12 miles Northwest of downtown Washington, D.C., and 35 miles southwest of Baltimore. Rockville is serviced by the Metrorail Red Line, Amtrak, and MARC Trains. The city proper has a population of approximately
60,000 and is the one of the largest city in Maryland. Rockville Pike, nationally know for its dining, entertainment, and retail options, cuts through the city center. Montgomery County is a recipient of the prestigious “All America Community” Award, in recognition of outstanding quality of life, and is the most highly educated community in the United States, with 59 holding a post graduate degree. Montgomery County has a population of 1,000,000 people.
The region has a temperate rain climate, predominantly oceanic, but partly continental. Winters are fairly short and mild, though temperatures sometimes descend toward zero degrees Fahrenheit. Summers are warm and humid, with temperatures rising at times to the high 90s. Spring weather is beautiful and fall is lovely with an incomparable Indian summer. Yearly participation averages 40 inches for rain and 22 inches for snow. Average relative humidity is 70 percent.
Average altitude of the area is about 420 feet above sea level. The upper end of Rock Creek Park is at the city’s eastern edge.