New Scholarship Award Established in Memory of NYSAFC President Emeritus James Hare

• By: Staff
• On: 01/24/2026 13:55:53
• In: NYSAFC News

NYSAFC is pleased to announce the President Emeritus Chief James E. Hare Award has been instituted in the 2026 Scholarship Program and will be presented annually by the Chautauqua County & Monroe County Fire Chiefs Hospitality Committee.
 
NYSAFC established the Scholarship Program to enhance, through academic achievement at the college level, the quality of leadership in the fire and emergency services, life safety field, and public safety field and to assist association Individual Members (and their spouses and children) in their pursuit of academic advancement. 
 
Through the new James Hare Award, a $1,000 scholarship will be presented to a student working toward an emergency services degree (fire science, EMS, emergency management, etc.) who is currently serving with a fire or EMS agency and has participated as a junior/explorer/RAM (or the equivalent).
 
Jim Hare was a 50-year veteran of the Hilton Fire Department in Monroe County, which he led as chief from 1996-1998. He was also a retired EMT and worked with youth in the Hilton Fire Department Explorer Program for 49 years. Hare served on the NYSAFC board of directors from 2016-2024, was installed as 2nd vice president in 2024, and was posthumously appointed president emeritus 2024-2025. The Chautauqua County & Monroe County Fire Chiefs Hospitality Committee established this award in recognition of Jim's decades of service in the fire and EMS fields, his dedication to mentoring youth in the emergency services, as well as his leadership of NYSAFC. 
 
Learn more about the NYSAFC Scholarship Program and the President Emeritus Chief James E. Hare Award, including eligibility criteria, here. Applications and required materials are due by April 1, 2026, for consideration.