Volunteer Firefighter Retirement
Established in 1983, the Volunteer Firefighters Retirement Act applies to volunteer non-salaried firefighters who:
- Are listed as an active member on the rolls of a fire department, and;
- Whose first year of service credit was earned during or after the year they turned 16 years old.
Effective January 1, 2009 you will earn one year of service credit as a volunteer firefighter for each year that you:
- Attend 50% of all scheduled drills;
- Attend 50% of all scheduled business meetings, and;
- Participate in at least 50% of all emergency response calls you held responsible to attend.
To qualify for a pension from PERA, you must be age 55 or older with 10 or more years of service credit. The monthly amount of you pension is determined by your years of service.
- At least age 55 with 25 or more years of service you will receive $250 per month
- At least age 55 with 10 or more years of service you will receive $125 per month
You may continue as a volunteer firefighter after you retire however you will not be allowed to earn additional service credit.
If you cease to be a volunteer firefighter prior to meeting the age and service condition for retirement and you have at least 10 years of service credit, you are entitled to a deferred pension payment when you meet the age and service requirements.
Upon your death you surviving spouse or dependent child will be paid two-thirds of the amount of pension you were receiving at the time of your death. A pension to a surviving spouse terminates upon either remarriage or death. A pension to a dependent child ceases when they reach age 18 or death.