§ 217. General requirements of a service award program. No volunteer\nfire department, volunteer fire company, fire district, fire protection\ndistrict, village, town or city, shall be required under this article to\nprovide service award benefits for its active volunteer firefighters.\nAny service awards provided to an active volunteer firefighter under\nthis article shall be governed by the provisions of section two hundred\neighteen in the case of defined contribution plans, section two hundred\nnineteen in the case of defined benefit plans and in either case by the\nprovisions of sections two hundred fourteen, two hundred fifteen, two\nhundred sixteen and two hundred nineteen-a of this article. No service\naward program may be provided under this article unless the following\nrequirements are met:\n (a) An active volunteer firefighter must be eligible to participate in\nany service award program provided under this article if the active\nvolunteer firefighter has reached the age of eighteen and has completed\nat least one year of firefighting service. The sponsor of the service\naward program may impose younger age or shorter length of service\nrequirements for participation in the service award program.\n (b) A participant shall have a nonforfeitable right to a percentage of\na service award that is not less than the percentage determined under\nthe following table:\n Years of Nonforfeitable\nFirefighting Service Percentage\nLess than 5 0\n5 or more 100\nNotwithstanding the preceding table, a participant shall have a one\nhundred percent nonforfeitable right to his service award upon his\nattainment of the entitlement age under the program. Each sponsor may\nestablish a percentage table that provides for a faster rate of becoming\nnonforfeitable. Any amounts attributable to forfeiture of a\nparticipant's service award shall be used to reduce contributions for\nother service award program participants and shall not in any case be\nused to increase benefits for other participants. The preceding shall\nnot preclude amendment of a service award program to provide for an\nincrease in benefits.\n (c) A year of firefighting service shall be credited under a service\naward program for each calendar year after establishment of the program\nin which an active volunteer firefighter accumulates at least fifty\npoints. Points shall be granted in accordance with a system adopted by\nthe program sponsor. Such system shall provide that points shall be\ngranted for activities designated by the program sponsor, which\nactivities shall be selected from the following:\n (i) Training courses -- twenty-five points maximum.\n (A) Courses under twenty hours duration -- one point per hour, with a\nmaximum of five points.\n (B) Courses of twenty to forty-five hours duration -- one point per\nhour for each hour over initial twenty hours, with a maximum of ten\npoints.\n (C) Courses over forty-five hours to one hundred hours duration --\nfifteen points per course.\n (D) Courses over one hundred hours duration -- twenty-five points per\ncourse.\n (ii) Drills -- twenty points maximum. One point per drill (minimum two\nhour drill).\n (iii) Sleep-in or stand-by -- twenty points maximum.\n (A) Sleep-in -- one point each full night.\n (B) Stand-by -- one point each. A stand-by is defined as line of duty\nactivity of the volunteer fire company, lasting for four hours, not\nfalling under one of the other categories.\n (iv) Elected or appointed position (see definition) -- twenty-five\npoints maximum.\n (A) Completion of one year term in an elected or appointed position.\nIf the term of office for a firefighter who has been elected or\nappointed to a position in a fire company or fire department commences\n
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