Public votes on Lawrence-Cedarhurst FD benefit program Monday

A public vote to revise the Length of Service Award Program for Lawrence-Cedarhurst firefighters will be held at the department’s firehouse, at 75 Washington Ave. in Lawrence, on Monday from 5 to 9 p.m.

The service award program was created by the state in 1988 as a retention and recruitment incentive for volunteer firefighters and ambulance squad members. It pays a pension-like monetary benefit to eligible members who have met the required criteria based on years of service, the number of meetings and drills they attend and the training they undergo. State law requires a public vote to approve a proposed revision to the program.

Lawrence-Cedarhurst must revise the program to ensure compliance with federal anti-age-discrimination law. Currently, firefighters 65 and older who continue to be active and accrue service credits do not see an increase in what they receive from the program. If approved, the change will become effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2011.

“The benefit is to keep people in the department,” said Lawrence Trustee Michael Fragin, who serves as the village’s liaison with the Fire Department. “We get a good value for our money,” he added, referring to the services the 70 active firefighters provide.

Revising the plan is expected to cost residents of Lawrence and Cedarhurst, the North Lawrence Fire District and East Lawrence approximately $22,000 per year for the 12 firefighters who are eligible, according to Joe Schettino, the LCFD’s attorney.

Based on projections provided to the villages by the Fire Department, amending the plan will cost Cedarhurst $6,500 per year. The cost to Lawrence is anticipated to be $11,814 annually. Annual payments to the eligible firefighters will range from $1,400 to $2,650.

Continuing active members would receive a one-time payment at age 66, in addition to their monthly payments. The monthly payments would increase if firefighters remain active and continue to accumulate service points.