The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association has awarded its 2013 Phillip L. Turner Fire Protection Scholarship to University of Maryland student Maria Theodori.
Theodori, who is entering her senior year at UMD, is majoring in the field of Fire Protection Engineering. She received a $5,000 scholarship in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement and commitment to the fire service.
The award is given annually by FAMA and has been sponsored since 2009 by FAMA member Akron Brass Co., a worldwide marketer and manufacturer of high performance life-safety, fire fighting and emergency rescue equipment.
A presentation was made at the FAMA Technical Committee meeting held in conjunction with the Fire-Rescue International conference in Chicago, IL.
During the application review process, the FAMA Education Committee asked themselves a simple question: Why this person?
“Maria does not settle from just doing things within the parameters given. She is an EMT who became a senior after only five semesters,” stated Tammy Laridaen, FAMA Education Committee co-chair. “This summer she traveled to Athens, Greece to intern with the Forest Research Institute of Athens to research wildfires and how to decrease home vulnerability on the Wildland-Urban Interface. The funds from this scholarship will allow Maria to finish her Master of Science in just one year after graduating with a Bachelor of Science,” noted Laridaen.
In addition to her academics, Theodori was recently elected as President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Student Chapter ’13-’14.
Her passion in fire science was nurtured at a very young age; her uncle serves in the Maine fire service as a Fire Captain.
"Akron Brass is honored to sponsor the Phillip L. Turner Scholarship. Education is a key part of the philosophy at Akron Brass, and we feel it is our responsibility to provide individuals like Maria an opportunity to build the critical skills and knowledge to be successful in life and as leaders within the fire and emergency service industry," stated Dave Durstine, Vice President/Marketing for Akron Brass.
On behalf of FAMA, we wish Maria much success in her future endeavors.
About FAMA
The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association is a non-profit trade association committed to enhancing the quality of the emergency service community through the manufacture and sale of safe, efficient emergency-response vehicles and equipment.
For more information, visit www.fama.org.
