Who must certify the annual points listing?

It is the time of year when we receive this question often – who is the one who must certify the annual points earned by the volunteers? Ultimately, the law does not specify a specific person or title.

General Municipal Law Section 219-a(c) states: Each volunteer fire company shall furnish to the governing board of such political subdivision a list of all volunteer members, certified under oath, and shall identify those volunteer members who have qualified for credit under the award program for the previous year. Such list shall be submitted annually by March thirty-first.

Therefore, it is really up to each local fire company, department, or perhaps even the sponsor, to determine who is ultimately responsible for the accuracy of the points. Typically it is the chief, but it could also be the president or an appointed LOSAP administrator. In some fire districts, the responsibility for entering the points into the software is tasked to a district official – like the secretary or the administrator. Even if a district official is responsible for the data entry, it is our opinion that the best practice is that someone from the fire company/department should still review and ultimately certify the accuracy of the points.

However, the law does stipulate who must certify prior service, sometimes referred to as the “buyback”. A LOSAP can be designed to credit up to five (5) years of service credit prior to the effective date of the program. General Municipal Law Section 217(e) states: Approval for such prior service shall require certification by the president, secretary and chief of the volunteer fire company. Therefore, these three individuals must certify prior service. This requirement does not carry forward to the points earned after the effective date.