ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Elizabethton Fire Department President Todd Hooper is months shy of thirty years as a fireman. He says fewer people are answering the call to serve.
"There’s a constant need for firefighters, especially in volunteer departments," Hooper said.
The department recently became an affinity partner with Elizabethtown College right down the road.
"We saw it as a perfect opportunity for us to give an additional benefit to members here at the fire department," Hooper said.
Aside from being beneficial to the members of the all-volunteer department, the partnership aims to improve recruitment and retention.
At Elizabethtown College, Director of Corporate Partnerships Christopher D’Imperio says Affinity Partnerships are having the same effect.
"We have about 21% of our student body coming from our Affinity partnerships," D’Imperio said.
The program provides a 15% discount for members and their families on all courses through the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.
D’Imperio says it was an easy decision to bring on the Elizabethtown Fire Department.
"I thought it was a no-brainer to closely align ourselves with our first responders and just be able to give back to them these opportunities after they give so much to our community," he said.
Several other first responders, including Lancaster EMS, York Area United Fire & Rescue, and multiple health systems are also partners.
Hooper hopes the new partnership, alongside their other efforts, can help the department meet its goals.
"We have great avenues where we can provide firefighters training on being a firefighter," Hooper said. "This grants us an ability to meet a much broader need."
The Elizabethtown Fire Department also has a live-in program and a scholarship to help with recruitment and retention.