[Adopted 5-3-1999 by Ord. No. 8-99; amended in its entirety 8-5-2002 by Ord. No. 31-2002]
A Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP) is herewith created in accordance with Chapter 388 of the Laws of 1997,[1] to reward members of the Readington Township Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services for their loyal, diligent, and devoted services to the residents of the Township of Readington.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 40A:14-183 et seq.
The LOSAP shall provide for fixed annual contributions to a deferred-income account for each volunteer member that meets the criteria set forth below; that such contributions shall be made in accordance with a plan that shall be established by the Township of Readington pursuant to P.L. 1997, c. 388; and that such plan shall be administered in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and this article.
The LOSAP shall provide for annual contributions to each eligible member that meets the criteria as follows:
A. 
Any active volunteer member shall be eligible to participate in the plan immediately upon his or her commencement of active emergency service with the plan administrator.
B. 
Termination of service.
(1) 
Any participant who terminates service as active volunteer member shall cease to participate hereunder. A former participant will become a participant immediately upon returning to the service of the plan administrator as an active volunteer member.
(2) 
Any active volunteer member who terminates service with the plan administrator, subsequently returns to service and again becomes a participant shall be treated as a new participant for purposes of eligibility unless said participant was fully vested pursuant to Section 8.1, as shown in Schedule A, which is on file in the Township Clerk's office, prior to his termination from service.
C. 
The sponsoring agency shall be notified by the plan administrator as to the active volunteer members who are initially eligible to participate in the plan, and which active volunteer members are eligible on each January 1. In the event that any question arises as to the eligibility of any active volunteer member, the decision of the sponsoring agency as to such active volunteer member's eligibility shall be binding upon the plan administrator, participants, beneficiaries and any and all other persons having an interest hereunder, subject to judicial review pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:14-188f.
D. 
The plan administrator shall have the right to require any active volunteer member at the time of his becoming a participant, to agree in writing to be bound by the terms, covenants and conditions of the plan and accompanying trust. Each participant shall furnish to the plan administrator all pertinent information required for the administration of the plan. The plan administrator shall rely upon all such information as furnished.
[Amended 12-6-2004 by Ord. No. 39-2004; 6-18-2007 by Ord. No. 19-2007]
The estimated cost of the program has been calculated as follows:
A. 
For regular annual services: $60,000 in 2007 and $80,000 in 2008.
B. 
The annual contribution to be made by the Township shall be $600 in 2007 and $800 in 2008 and shall be given to each individual who has earned a minimum of 50 points as provided for in § 21-14 below with an annual automatic cost of living increase based on the CPI (consumer price index).
Each active volunteer member shall be credited with points for volunteer services provided to the volunteer fire company/first-aid organization in accordance with the following schedule:
A. 
A year of active emergency service shall be credited under the plan for each plan year in which an active volunteer firefighter or other emergency service volunteer of the Readington Township Fire and Rescue Service accumulates at least 50 points. Points shall be granted in accordance with the following system. Such system shall provide that points shall be granted for the following activities and upon the approval of the plan administrator:
(1) 
Training courses: 25 points maximum.
(a) 
Courses under 20 hours' duration: one point per hour, with a maximum of five points.
(b) 
Courses of 20 to 45 hours' duration: one point per hour for each hour over initial 20 hours, with a maximum of 10 points.
(c) 
Courses over 45 hours duration: 15 points per course.
(2) 
Drills: 20 points maximum; one point per drill (minimum two-hour drill).
(3) 
Sleep-in or standby: 20 points maximum.
(a) 
Sleep-in: one point each full night.
(b) 
Standby: one point each. A "standby" is defined as a line-of-duty activity of the Department, lasting for four hours, not falling under one of the other categories.
(4) 
Elected or appointed position: 25 points maximum for Category 1; 20 points maximum for Category 2.
(a) 
Category 1.
[1] 
"Elected or appointed position" means line officers, Department or company officers and president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.
[2] 
To qualify for this category a person must have completed a one-year term in an elected or appointed position. An active volunteer elected to serve as a delegate to a firefighters convention shall also be eligible to receive one point per meeting.
(b) 
Category 2.
[1] 
Key committees that control the primary business needs of the organization will receive points as follows: 20 points per key committee, to be given to the committee head (20 points) or divided among the committee members (for example: in a committee consisting of four members, each one would earn five points) as determined by the individual organization.
[2] 
"Key committee" is one that is a standing committee from year to year and is a viable business committee as demonstrated by possessing significant actual spending authority, significant budgeted spending, or serving for the business good of the organization and having responsibility for the primary business needs of the organization.
[3] 
The committees eligible to be key committees will be determined by the individual organization on a yearly basis and approved by the LOSAP Committee using the definition of "key committee" provided above.
[4] 
An annual list of key committees will be submitted to the sponsoring agency every January along with the list of eligible volunteer members and shall be kept on file in the Municipal Clerk's office.
[5] 
Although the names of some committees may be identical in different organizations, it is recognized and understood that they may have entirely different responsibilities.
(5) 
Attendance at meetings: 20 points maximum; attendance at any official meetings of the volunteer fire company: one point per meeting.
(a) 
"Official meetings" are:
[1] 
Monthly business meetings of the volunteer organization;
[2] 
Special meetings of the entire volunteer organization called by the president, chief or designee to resolve a particular issue; or
[3] 
Any meeting outside the volunteer organization where a member represents or speaks for the organization.
(b) 
Excluded from the above definition are committee meetings, line officer or executive meetings which are internal to the organization.
(6) 
Participation in Department responses: 25 points for responding on the minimum number of calls as outlined below:
(a) 
The following graded scale is based on actual response to fire calls and does not include work credits:
Percentage of
Participation
Points Earned
50%
25
40%
20
30%
15
20%
10
10%
5
(b) 
The participation percentage is in no way tied to the criteria for the state relief percentage or the individual fire company criteria for active participation.
(7) 
Miscellaneous activities: maximum 25 points.
(a) 
Participation in inspections and other activities covered by the New Jersey Volunteer Length of Service Award Law and not otherwise listed: one point per activity as approved by the LOSAP Committee.
This article shall take effect immediately upon final adoption and publication in the manner provided by law and upon filing with the Director of the Division of Local Government Services.