The Ashland Fire Explorers traveled to the University of Illinois to attend the 2012 Hands-on Fire Training program at the Illinois Fire Service Institute, along with other Explorer Posts from throughout the country.

Fire & Emergency Services Career Exploring is a hands-on program that exposes young men and women, who range in age from 14 to 20, to many career experiences, leadership opportunities, and community service activities. The primary goal of this program is to help them choose a career path within fire and emergency services that will challenge them to become responsible citizens of their communities and their country.

 “We wouldn’t have been able to send all 12 students and advisors to this training without help from the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation’s $2,000 donation,” said Explorer Advisor, Tom Falone.

This marks the fourth group of Fire Explorers’ Post 1438 that attended this training in Illinois. The students were with other Explorers from all over the country and experienced intense training with live fire evolutions, controlled live burn & smoke evolutions, but most importantly, the students were treated as firefighters, not students, therefore it truly became a real life experience.

The Ashland Fire Explorers Post 1438 grant was included in the total of $69,067 in community support awarded by the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation during its most recent round of funding. 

Since it was established in 1998, the Foundation has donated over $2 million to charitable causes as part of its commitment to improve and enhance quality of life for local residents.

Framingham Co-operative Bank is a state-chartered institution established in 1889. The Bank has full-service offices at 828 Concord St. and One Lincoln St. and a Loan Center at 160 Cochituate Rd, all in Framingham, and provides online banking services at FraminghamBank.com.

The Bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and a member of the Share Insurance Fund.