35-1309.

Service award benefit program; authorized.

(1) After March 1, 2000, any city of the first class, city of the second class, village, rural fire protection district, or suburban fire protection district which relies in whole or in part upon a volunteer department for emergency response services may adopt a service award benefit program as provided in the Volunteer Emergency Responders Recruitment and Retention Act.

(2) No city, village, or fire protection district shall be required to adopt a service award benefit program. Nothing in the act shall be construed to mandate the creation of a service award benefit program in any city, village, or fire protection district. The act shall not be construed to prohibit any city, village, or fire protection district from ending or eliminating any service award benefit program after its adoption, except that a city, village, or fire protection district may not end its program or its responsibility under its program with regard to any year of service completed prior to such elimination.

(3) Each service award benefit program shall include provisions governing the procedures to be followed in the tallying, recording, verifying, and auditing of points earned by volunteers and provisions which provide for the collection of such other information regarding participants as may be needed to facilitate administration of the program.