SU Junior Earns Salisbury Fire Department Scholarship

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University junior Brian Carter was eight years old when his father, a firefighter, was killed battling a Washington, D.C. blaze.

“I take a lot of inspiration from my dad,” Carter said. “He was an extremely brave man and I live my life trying to do what he would have done.”

To help Carter with his education, the Salisbury Fire Department recently awarded him its Fire and Rescue Service Survivor’s Educational Scholarship.

Given annually to SU students, the $500 renewable award is designed to help dependents of fire and rescue professionals killed in the line of duty in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, or in Carter’s case, Washington, D.C.  It also may benefit dependents of Salisbury Fire Department members and New York City Fire Department members killed on September 11, 2001.

A business major, Carter hopes to eventually use his degree to work with foundations that help the families of fallen fire fighters.  He may also get involved with a business aspect of a fire department, he said.  No surprise, firefighting is a tradition for the Carter family.

“My grandparents, uncles and cousins have all served for fire departments in D.C. and Montgomery County,” Carter said.  His father, John, worked for the District of Columbia Fire/EMS Department and was fighting a fire in the northwest part of the city when he died.

Prior to accepting the local scholarship, Carter received a $2,000 award from the Vantagepoint Public Employee Memorial Fund, which is given to children and spouses of local and state government employees who have died in the line of duty.  He also met some of his father’s former colleagues and was featured in a Washington Post story.

“I definitely want to be part of a fire department in some way,” he said. “It’s in my blood.”