Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) has recently launched a scholarship program that provides higher education financial assistance to surviving children and spouses offirefighter suicides. Jeff Dill, founder of Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, has established this scholarship program in memory of those who might have struggled with personal issues in their lives and felt suicide was their only way to remove their internal pain and suffering. It is the intent of FBHA to honor these fallen firefighters and to recommend to others, that if you are suffering from depression,post-traumatic stress disorder, stress, addictions, or otherbehavioral health issues,请尽快寻求帮助。
FBHA continues to travel across the US educating firefighters/EMS personnel onsuicideprevention and awareness, and they don’t fall short of providing focus on the families that surround their brotherhood. It is through this commitment and leadership that the development of this scholarship program for surviving family members exists. FBHA has named five scholarships for families of firefighters who have died by suicide. Jeff has met and formed bonds with these families, finding a way to honor his brothers by naming these scholarships after them. They are as follows:
1. Firefighter Jack Slivinski Jr. Scholarship
2. Firefighter Scott Charles Bellucci Scholarship
3. Firefighter/Paramedic Todd A. Diercks Scholarship
4. Firefighter Timothy J. Karnisky Scholarship
5. Firefighter Michael Bonanno – Fire Department of New York Ladder 7- Scholarship
Scholarship amounts will be determined by the amount of funding donated to this program. The minimum with be $500 and the maximum $1,000. Scholarship applications are now available and will be awarded approximately four weeks after the deadline of July 31, 2013. Applications can be found by visiting Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance’s website atwww.ffbha.org.
