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HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 1Pt. 1Ch. 4.5Art. 3§ 50961 Volunteer Firefighter Service Certification

§ 50961 Volunteer Firefighter Service Certification

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 50961 Volunteer Firefighter Service Certification

Key Takeaways

  • •A special group (qualifications review commission) must be created to check if volunteer firefighters meet the rules for benefits.
  • •This group checks the list of volunteers every year and tells the board who qualifies by October 1.
  • •Volunteers can't get credit for more years of service than the rules allow.
  • •If a volunteer wants credit for past work but there are no records, they and the group must sign a paper swearing it's true.

Example

A volunteer firefighter named Alex worked for 5 years before records were kept. Now, Alex wants credit for those years to get better benefits.

The special group will check if Alex really worked those years. If there are no records, Alex and the group must sign a paper saying it's true. Then, the group tells the board Alex can get credit for those years.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 50961 Volunteer Firefighter Service Certification

(a) The governing body of each contracting department shall establish a qualifications review commission that shall include the fire chief, one member of the governing body appointed by the governing body, and one volunteer elected by the volunteers employed by the contracting department. (b) The qualifications review commission shall review the list of department members each year, and prior to October 1 of each year shall certify to the board those volunteers who have qualified. (c) In no event shall a member be credited with more than the maximum number of years of service allowed in the award system, as established by the rules and regulations of the board. (d) With respect to each contracting department that provides benefits for prior service credit, the qualifications review commission shall promulgate and publish guidelines for computing prior service credit. The guidelines shall require the prior service credit to be verified and certified and, in the event that there are no records in existence, the members of the commission and the volunteer shall sign an affidavit certifying that the prior service met the criteria prescribed in Section 50960. The affidavit shall be signed under penalty of perjury. Thereafter, the qualifications review commission shall certify to the board certified prior service credit that has been earned by each member. (Repealed and added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 651, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2008. Operative March 1, 2008, by Section 50979.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

commissioncontractbenefitsfirepenaltyofferregulationoperative march

Related Statutes

  • § 50960 Volunteer Firefighter Service Credit
  • § 8880.29 Lottery Prize Regulations
  • § 14556.16 Project Application Review Timeline
  • § 50952 Volunteer Firefighter Award Definitions
  • § 50958 Volunteer Membership Service Credit

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 50961.
View Official Source