From the October-November 2000 Edition 

Benefits for Volunteers   On Election Day, Fair Lawn voters will be asked:  "Shall the Borough of Fair Lawn be authorized to establish a Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP) for Fire Department, Ambulance Corps and Heavy Rescue Squad volunteers?"     John Cosgrove, head of the Borough's LOSAP Committee told Fair Lawn News that "the object of the plan is to help volunteer emergency services recruit and retain volunteers."   Gail Cebular, President of the Fair Lawn Volunteer Ambulance Corps said that with the prevalence of two income families it has been harder to find volunteers, especially during the day.    Each volunteer member of the Fire, Ambulance and Heavy Rescue units who performs the appropriate amount of service each year will have money deposited into a tax deferred income account that will earn interest for the volunteer.  Mr. Cosgrove said that "similar to a 401k plan, at age 62, the member will be allowed to begin drawing from their account, or take a lump sum payment".    To be eligible for the LOSAP benefits, volunteers will be required to meet certain requirements, such as responding to alarms, attending drills and classes.   Initially the cost to the Borough will be about $24,000 annually, going up to $127,000 starting in 2006.    This plan will have to be approved by the voters of Fair Lawn before it can go into effect.     Maximum Annual Contribution For Each Active Volunteer  Year Contribution Per Volunteer 2002  $500  2003  $500  2004  $600  2005  $600  2006  $750      Estimated Cost of Annual Contributions  Year Cost to Borough 2002  $84,500* 2003  $84,500* 2004  $101,400  2005  $101,400  2006  $126,750    *In addition, the borough estimates contributions for prior years service (up to 5 years per volunteer), will be approximately $24,000 in 2001, 2002 and 2003.     LOSAP Related Links Ambulance Corps Heavy Rescue Squad Fire Company #3