Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP)

In 1994, voters in the Elsmere Fire District approved, and the Board of Fire Commissioners adopted, a Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) for the volunteer firefighters of the Elsmere Fire Company A, Inc. This program requires our volunteer firefighters to be active participants in activities that are approved or required by the Elsmere Fire District. In 2012, the Board of Fire Commissioners passed a resolution, and the voters approved a resolution to establish a Defined Contribution LOSAP Program to replace the Defined Benefit Program in order to reduce costs which were becoming difficult to manage within the 2% tax cap restriction. This change reduced costs from about $130,000 in 2013 to $50,000 in 2014. In 2019, voters approved an increase in the annual earned benefit and reduced the entitlement age from 65 years to 60 years. These changes became effective on January 1, 2020.

A firefighter must accumulate a minimum of 50 participation points each year in order to earn service credit for that year. Points are granted for participation in training, emergency response and other activities that make the volunteer a valuable member of our organization. After 5 years, the firefighter earns a vested annual benefit, payable when the member reaches age 60. This program, in addition to other efforts by the Elsmere Fire Company’s Recruitment & Retention Committee, has resulted in the Fire District’s ability to attract younger members and retain more experienced members. The Fire District, unlike many other volunteer organizations, benefits from a full compliment of 85 volunteer firefighters with a waiting list most of the time.