National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announces four students have been selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship from its Fire Safety Educational Memorial Fund.

Based on academic achievement, leadership abilities, contributions to fire safety activities and pursuit of careers in fire safety, the winners are:

Nicholas Eschner, a senior at Oklahoma State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection and Safety Technology, is the recipient of the George D. Miller Scholarship. Established in 2002, the scholarship was created in tribute to NFPA’s former president and chief executive officer. Eschner has been a volunteer firefighter/EMT during his summer breaks and intends to have a career either in the local or national level of the fire service. The Miller Scholarship provides assistance to students in fire service or public administration programs in the U.S. or Canada.

Stephen Petit, joining the Masters Degree program in Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland in September, was awarded the John L. Jablonsky Scholarship. The scholarship aids graduate students in fire protection engineering programs in the United States and Canada. Petit served as an active volunteer firefighter while an undergraduate at Clarkson University and will be working at the Center for Firefighter Safety Research and Development at the University of Maryland this fall. The scholarship is named in honor of the former insurance company executive who served on the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control.

Daniel Nilsson, currently pursuing doctoral studies in Fire Safety Engineering at Lund University in Sweden, was awarded the Memorial Fund’s David B. Gratz Scholarship, established for students enrolled in fire science or engineering programs outside of the United States or Canada. Nilsson conducts research in fire evacuation and human behavior, concentrating on how exit guidance influences choices in emergency situations and social influence during evacuation. The scholarship is named in honor of Chief Gratz, the first career fire chief of Silver Springs, Md., and former director of the Montgomery County, Md., Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

Allison Carey, an undergraduate Fire Protection Engineering student at the University of Maryland, was chosen as the first recipient of the Arthur E. Cote Scholarship, which was established upon Cote’s retirement from NFPA in 2006 to recognize and offer support for individuals pursuing a career in fire protection engineering. Last semester, Carey worked on an alternative fuel project sponsored by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of NFPA, and will be involved in similar projects in the future.

The Memorial Fund is administered by a committee appointed by the NFPA Board of Directors. Applications for NFPA scholarships and contributions to the Fire Safety Educational Fund can be sent to: NFPA Fire Safety Educational Memorial Fund, Attention: Christine Ellis, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Mass., 02169-7471.

For more information, call (617) 984-7244.

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