Tuesday marked a special day for three men striving to become full time firefighters.
That's because family members of Brian Schira, who passed away last year while fighting a house fire in Colerain Township, gave scholarships to the three men in his remembrance.
"Nothing replaces your child, but it helps that you know that Brain's name will always be associated with this fabulous gift, what more can you want," says Christine Brummer, Brian Schira’s aunt and a counselor on to the scholarship fund's board.
Schira lost his life April of 2008 while fighting flames with Captain Robin Broxterman, who too lost her life.
"This is what they wanted to do, put it back in the community and the fire service," Brummer said.
Friends and family members of Schira and the three lucky recipients, David Benken, Craig Niehaus and Ryan Frank, crowded the Fire Museum downtown at 1:00 p.m. for the scholarship ceremony.
The funds are going to help the men pay for their paramedic training, which is a requirement to become a full-time firefighter in Ohio.
Schira was planning to enroll in the training.
"It was his next step to become a paramedic," says Eric Schira, Brian's older brother.
"He was working three jobs,” said Eric. “He was on Delhi Township, Colerain Township and he also worked at the Home Depot in Western Hills, trying to save up to take paramedic class."
Members of various Tri-State communities donated more than $250,000 to the firefighters families.
Now the three men can pursue their dreams.
"It's an excellent weight off my shoulders. Paramedic school is around $6,000, so $2,500 goes a long way towards that," said David Benken, a scholarship recipient.
Brummer says Schira was about helping people and the scholarship will be a constant reminder of that.
"We are hoping as the recipients go through the class that they would be examples of Brian and his enthusiasm and his dedication to the fire department,” she said.
