That's right, as a volunteer firefighter you can get out of doing that dreaded civic
responsibility called jury duty. The process is not automatic so after receiving a summons for initial juror selection the firefighter needs to protest their circumstances about why they cannot serve to the according judicial district. You better believe I've played this card to get out of federal jury duty.
In a rare occurrence the government is essentially giving you money instead of taking it. In New Jersey the Volunteer Tuition Credit Program allows a volunteer first responder who is "active and in good standing" with their volunteer organization or their spouse or children to
"receive tuition credit in the amount of $600 per year, not to exceed a maximum of $2400 over a four year service period." I mean with how expensive college is; why wouldn't you take the free money?
3) Get college credits for your certification
With initial firefighter training being longer than some college courses now, you might as well get some credits out of it for your trouble. The 184 hour Fire Fighter 1 certification can be cashed in for 3 credits at NJ colleges and universities. The firefighter needs to contact their college registrar or other appropriate office to begin the process. If having to pass a practical skills test, a written test and two hazmat tests doesn't count for some college credit then I don't know what does.
Though volunteer firefighters don't get paid (hence the word volunteer); those serving in a
municipality with a LOSAP program will still accumulate some money through a LOSAP account. A LOSAP account is a deferred compensation plan where a local municipality every year contributes a certain amount of money which then is invested similar to a 401k. This money becomes available with no penalty when the firefighter reaches a set retirement age.
As anyone who has taken a civil service test will tell you, they are super competitive. So it helps to get a bit of a leg up when you can. Depending on the civil service district a volunteer firefighter can be given some preference over other applicants. Now this practice varies widely so research is needed to know if a volunteer firefighter will be given any preference, and if so how?
See you at the big one.
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