Firefighters Relief Fund Grant

The Firefighters Relief Fund, managed by the North Carolina State Firefighters' Association, assists firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty. Compliance with eligibility requirements, including membership and timely submission of financial statements, is crucial for departments to access these funds. Recent legislative changes streamline certification processes, enhancing support for local fire departments and ensuring financial accountability for the fund's original purpose.

NOTE: All bank/financial statements are due to NC State Firefighters' Association (NCSFA) at the listed Pre-Proposal deadline above. The Full Proposal deadline represents when the certified roster and the Board of Trustees Report are due.
Purpose
The Firefighters' Relief Fund has been created to financially assist firefighters who experience injury or loss of life while performing fire department duties.
Legislation
Relief Fund Certifications are now collected by the North Carolina State Firefighters' Association (NCSFA) and will no longer need to be submitted to the Department of Insurance, per recent legislative changes (NC General Statute 58-84-46).
Commonly known as the "Report of Fire Conditions", "Certification of Eligibility", or "Board of Trustees Report (BTR)"
Certifications are due to NCSFA between the specified date range, along with the certified department roster
The NC State Firefighters' Association will provide this information to the Department of Insurance.

Eligibility

Fire departments must meet the following requirements to receive the tax collected within their fire district:Be a current member of the North Carolina State Firefighters' Association (NCSFA)
Submit Firefighters' Relief Fund bank & financial statement(s) to the State Firefighters' Association by the deadlineEstablish a Firefighters' Relief Fund Board of Trustees, to include:Two (2) positions elected by the fire department;
Two (2) positions appointed by City or County Commissioners;
One (1) position appointed by the Insurance Commissioner.One of the five (5) board members will be elected as Treasurer. The Department of Insurance provides a blanket honesty bond to cover all local Firefighters' Relief Fund treasurers.The information above is compiled annually for each rated fire district to verify eligibility. Fire departments meeting all requirements are eligible to receive their relief fund tax.If a fire department fails to meet all requirements, the relief fund tax is transferred to the NC State Firefighters' Association and held in the State Firefighters' Relief Fund account.If the fire department is solely operated by either the town or a Board of Directors and serves two fire districts, it is only required to meet the General Statute requirements once: by joining the NCSFA once and submitting required forms once.If the fire department is operated by two separate entities sharing one location. Both departments must join the NCSFA and each must submit required forms.  The North Carolina General Assembly revised NC General Statute 58-84-35 to allow local Firefighters' Relief Fund boards to use funds for the following:Educational benefits
Supplemental retirement
Purchase other insurance and pension protectionOnce the local board approves any expenditures, the NC State Firefighters' Association must also approve them to ensure the fund remains financially sound for the original intent.