Brotherhood of Firemen

[Powerstroke Cowboy]

One of our senior members retired from the department last night after 43 years of service.

Does Minnesota have a retirement plan for their fire fighters?

 

[Loony661]

Does Minnesota have a retirement plan for their fire fighters?

Back in the 1950’s the state gave each department some start up money to invest for future retirements. Each department was allowed to invest it as they see fit. For example: each department sets a dollar amount per year of service served in good standing. Our department is on the low side, around $800 for each year. Some area departments are as high as $2,500/yr. To be fully vested requires 20 years in good standing. You can retire at 10 years but only claim 50%, and each year prorated after that.. Depending on SOG’s, it can take some guys 30 years to get their 20 years of good standing served (if they had some years where their attendance wasn’t up to par, etc).

 

[Powerstroke Cowboy]

Back in the 1950’s the state gave each department some start up money to invest for future retirements. Each department was allowed to invest it as they see fit. For example: each department sets a dollar amount per year of service served in good standing. Our department is on the low side, around $800 for each year. Some area departments are as high as $2,500/yr. To be fully vested requires 20 years in good standing. You can retire at 10 years but only claim 50%, and each year prorated after that.. Depending on SOG’s, it can take some guys 30 years to get their 20 years of good standing served (if they had some years where their attendance wasn’t up to par, etc).

We need to have atleast 30 hours a year of training to qualify. I'm not sure how many years it takes.

 

[Loony661]

We need to have atleast 30 hours a year of training to qualify. I'm not sure how many years it takes.

We have to maintain a minimum of 24 hours of training to stay state certified, but that doesn’t affect retirement.

How is your retirement setup?

 

[Powerstroke Cowboy]

We have to maintain a minimum of 24 hours of training to stay state certified, but that doesn’t affect retirement.

How is your retirement setup?

Okay. Gotcha. If we don't maintain 30 hours a year we loose that year towards retirement.

In all honesty I do not know. I was told that you can't buy a pop every day of the week with it it's so little. Never bothered to ask, or look into it. It's never been discussed at training either.

 

[redneckhillbilly]

I think it's a dollar a month for every year you volunteered.

 

[Loony661]

I think it’s safe to say that none of us do it for the money, but it sure is nice to get a little something as a “Thank You” when you retire.

 

[Headhunter1111]

Ours is $250 a month for 20 years of service after age 55. 10 years is $125. However, in order to qualify you have to make 50% of meetings, trainings, and calls.

 

[Loony661]

Ours is $250 a month for 20 years of service after age 55. 10 years is $125. However, in order to qualify you have to make 50% of meetings, trainings, and calls.

Our SOG’s have similar rules to qualify. Since we have 2 meetings a month (1 business meeting and 1 training) our guidelines state that 7 and 7 must be attended to qualify for 1 year of credit. If that can’t be met, 4 and 4 will produce 1/2 year of credit.

 

[Hinerman]

Does Minnesota have a retirement plan for their fire fighters?

The Oklahoma retirement system is very good if I understand it correctly. Skip to question 15:

https://www.ok.gov/fprs/Active_Member_Information/index.html

 

[Powerstroke Cowboy]

The Oklahoma retirement system is very good if I understand it correctly. Skip to question 15:

https://www.ok.gov/fprs/Active_Member_Information/index.html

That's very interesting. That's for a paid fire fighter. So depending on how much their paid it could be substantial.

I think it's a dollar a month for every year you

Okay, all I know is it does not amount to much of anything.

I think it’s safe to say that none of us do it for the money, but it sure is nice to get a little something as a “Thank You” when you retire.

Agreed. I can't say I really care about the retirement money. I joined to help the surrounding community. Plus, it's a blast fighting fires.

Ours is $250 a month for 20 years of service after age 55. 10 years is $125. However, in order to qualify you have to make 50% of meetings, trainings, and calls.

Not bad. It all adds up. Making 50 percent of meetings is a killer for me. We have 24 a year. Most of the year work interferes with the meetings.

 

[redneckhillbilly]

just got a resourse order from DNRC, im taking a tender out for a few weeks or so tomorrow AM, when I get back I'm buying a ported 395 or 592!!

 

[Loony661]

just got a resourse order from DNRC, im taking a tender out for a few weeks or so tomorrow AM, when I get back I'm buying a ported 395 or 592!!

Stay safe, have fun!

 

[redneckhillbilly]

if you zoom in theres a helicopter in the smoke

 

[Loony661]

if you zoom in theres a helicopter in the smoke

Cool photo!

 

[Loony661]

Tonight we held a 2 part training. We ran two totally different mock-calls simultaneously. We split the dept into 2 groups and they each ran a scenario and then switched. Scenario 1 was an overdue hunter - we put up a treestand just out of town and I set my harness up and hung from it, acting like an unresponsive victim. Each crew had to figure out how to lower me down safely, and efficiently.. Scenario 2 was a shed fire in tight quarters behind a building where access was restricted. This was meant more as a communications and pump operations training than anything. Basically we setup a 55 gal drum behind a building and each team had to draft water from the drop tank, and use the deck gun to shoot water over the building to fill the barrel. The only communication allowed was by radio from fire fighter within visual of the barrel, to operator on the engine running the deck gun. This was also a timed event and the team that lost was responsible for cleanup of the scene.. All in all, both teams did great at both scenarios and it really made them think outside the box. I enjoy these types of trainings a lot when just the basic problem is given, and it’s totally up to the dept as a team to find a solution and execute it.

 

[Powerstroke Cowboy]

Sounds like a fun training session. Other than the cleanup.

 

[Loony661]

Hope you all are doing alright with the weather. Wish me luck, tonight I start EMR courses.

 

[Powerstroke Cowboy]

Luck luck.

 

[full chizel]

Hope you all are doing alright with the weather. Wish me luck, tonight I start EMR courses.

Why don’t you become an EMT or Paramedic?