HB 2005 Summary

• Volunteer firefighters who are age 45 or older at the start of their volunteer service are ineligible to join the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System and cannot receive any benefits or service credit from the system.

• The Fire Chief or designated person responsible for decisions regarding firefighting services makes the final determination on whether applicants over age 45 can perform volunteer firefighting services, based on local rules, regulations, ordinances, guidelines and standard operating procedures.

• Existing restrictions on hiring paid firefighters over age 45 remain unchanged, with exceptions for retired municipal firefighters, professional engineers, and temporary technical specialists.

• The Act became effective November 1, 2015.