Summary
Retired part-time firefighters, known as retained firefighters, are seeking to receive pensions after many years of service. Some former firefighters have yet to obtain their pensions despite an agreement allowing them to backdate claims to 2000. Ongoing legal and administrative issues are causing delays.
Key Facts
- Retained firefighters are part-time emergency responders, mostly in rural areas, who are on-call to respond to emergencies.
- Many retired retained firefighters did not have pension rights until recently.
- Legal actions in the 2000s led to changes allowing retired firefighters to claim pensions from as far back as 1 July 2000.
- A ruling by the European Court of Justice enabled firefighters who served between April 2000 and April 2006 to claim pensions for their careers.
- Retired firefighters must pay their missed pension contributions, which can be deducted from their final pension payment.
- The process has faced delays due to ongoing legal challenges and administrative issues.
- The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is involved in ongoing negotiations and legal battles to secure these pensions.
- Administrative cuts in fire services previously affected the processing of pensions, contributing to current complications.
