The UK’s largest firefighters union has said 10,000 ‘retained’ personnel are expected to take up the option of extended pension benefits, which bring them into line with those offered to their full-time peers.
The extension applies to workers across the UK who were employed as a retained firefighter between July 1 2000 and April 5 2006, and previously had no pension scheme in place during that time.
Retained personnel are part-time professional firefighters that often have other full-time employment. These crews are often found in rural areas.
The modified scheme has all the benefits of the old firefighters’ scheme
Sean Starbuck, Fire Brigades Union
They are now being given the opportunity to buy past service. Fire and rescue authorities have been given until April 1 2015 to identify and contact potential members about joining the scheme.
Those looking to extend their benefits have to pay past contributions, based on time of service. These have to be paid within a 10-year period. Payments can also be made using their retirement lump sum.
Sean Starbuck, national officer for the Fire Brigades Union, estimated that more than 10,000 eligible firefighters would take the option to join the scheme, including many retired members looking to buy into the improved benefits. “We think there will be a hell of a lot,” he said.
In 2006, a new scheme was introduced but it did not have the same level of benefits, said Starbuck. “The modified scheme has all the benefits of the old firefighters’ scheme,” he said.
Firefighters across England and Wales have this year been taking industrial action over changes to their pension scheme, primarily an increase in contributions to more than 14 per cent of salary and a rise of the normal retirement age to 60.
Firefighters benefits: in detail
Retained crew members of the new offering will make up a section of the New Firefighters’ Pension Scheme, referred to as the Modified Pension Scheme. It will more closely resemble the scheme offered to firefighters who joined before April 2006.
The modified scheme has a normal pension age of 55, as opposed to 60 for the wider scheme. The new plan has a deferred pension age of 60. It also has a uniform accrual rate of 1/45th, contributions calculated at the same rate as the 1992 scheme and a death grant of two times pensionable pay.
Under the new arrangement all retained firefighters will have injury awards calculated on a pro-rata basis. Previously only part-time or retained firefighters employed on or after April 6 2006 had injury benefits calculated pro-rata, where all those employed prior to that date had a protected right to injury awards calculated on a full-time basis.
Starbuck said that, while whole-time calculations were beneficial, the new pro-rata calculation matched what is offered to members of the pre-2006 Firefighters Pension Scheme.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is in the process of identifying eligible members and issuing information packs, said a spokesperson for the Scottish government.
“If they decide to opt for more information, the SFRS will set out the amount of special service they are entitled to purchase during the relevant period and the cost of purchasing the past service,” said the spokesperson.
