2005 California Government Code Sections 50950-50952.1 Article 1. General Provisions

50950.  It is the purpose of this chapter to provide cities,
counties, cities and counties, or districts, that have fire
departments with volunteer firefighting members, the opportunity to
offer such members an award for life as an incentive.  Nothing
contained herein shall be deemed to supersede the provisions of
existing state law and the charters, ordinances, and rules of local
public agencies which establish and regulate the activities of these
fire departments.  This chapter is intended, instead, to strengthen
these departments through the creation of an incentive for the
volunteer to respond to emergency calls and attend official
department training drills and meetings.  It is the further intention
of this chapter to provide a means whereby local communities may
bestow fitting reward and recognition for long and faithful volunteer
service.
50951.  This chapter establishes the Volunteer Firefighters Length
of Service Award System and may be cited as the Volunteer
Firefighters Length of Service Award Act.
   Notwithstanding any other provision of law, enrollment for an
award shall not be construed as a retirement, the receipt of an award
shall not be construed as the receipt of a retirement allowance or
benefit, and service credited under the Volunteer Firefighters Length
of Service Award System shall not be construed as service credited
to a retirement system for purposes of duplicating service credit or
benefits in other public retirement systems.
50952.  For the purposes of this chapter, unless the context
otherwise requires, the definitions set forth below shall mean the
following:
   (a) "Actuarial interest rate" means the interest rate fixed by the
board for purposes of actuarial valuation of the assets and
liabilities of the award system.
   (b) "Annual interest rate" means the interest rate fixed by the
board for purposes of crediting interest.
   (c) "Award" means monthly payments for life derived from
contributions by a department.
   (d) "Award recipient" means a former member who has a minimum of
10 years of service credit in the program, has attained the minimum
age of 60 years, has filed an application with the award system, and
is receiving an award.
   (e) "Award system" means the Volunteer Firefighters Length of
Service Award System established by this chapter.
   (f) "Board" means the Board of Administration of the Public
Employees' Retirement System.
   (g) "Certified current service credit" means credit certified
pursuant to Section 50959 for services rendered after the contract
operative date.
   (h) "Contract operative date" means the first day of the month
next following the date on which the contract becomes effective.
   (i) "Department" means a regularly organized fire department of a
city, county, city and county, or district, having official
recognition of the government of the city, county, city and county,
or district in which such department is located.
   (j) "Fund" means the Volunteer Firefighters Length of Service
Award System Fund created by this chapter.
   (k) "Member" means a volunteer of a department, the governing body
of which has contracted with the Public Employees' Retirement System
under this chapter, and who has been certified by a qualifications
review commission as having qualified for at least one year of
current service credit.  Membership, once established, continues
indefinitely unless membership is terminated pursuant to Section
50957.
   (l) "Service credit" means the aggregate of certified current
service credit.
   (m) "Service year" means the period beginning July 1 and ending
June 30 of the following year.
   (n) "Volunteer" means any person registered as a volunteer member
of a regularly organized fire department as defined in subdivision
(i).
   (o) "Certified prior service credit" means credit for service
performed prior to the contract operative date as certified by a
qualifications review commission.  That prior service shall be
credited in the award system only in addition to current service for
the same department or its predecessor.  Certified prior  service
credit is optional to the contracting agency.  The provisions of this
subdivision shall not apply to any department or to its volunteers
unless and until the department elects to be subject to it by an
amendment to its contract which is approved pursuant to Section
50973.
   In no event shall any member be credited with more than eight
years of prior service credit.
50952.1.  For purposes of this chapter, unless the context otherwise
requires, the term "department" shall also mean a regularly
organized fire department of an unincorporated town.