NJ FF's question

[Milo76]

What are the chances of someone 37 years old getting a FF job in NJ?

I just joined a volly dept and it seams that if you are a volly the age requirement jumps to 40 instead of the normal 35 but I'm not sure if this is true. I wish I would have done this many years ago but it is what it is. I would really like a career change and I never thought FF'ing would be something I liked so much until I joined the volly department.

Thanks for any input

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

What are the chances of someone 37 years old getting a FF job in NJ?

I just joined a volly dept and it seams that if you are a volly the age requirement jumps to 40 instead of the normal 35 but I'm not sure if this is true. I wish I would have done this many years ago but it is what it is. I would really like a career change and I never thought FF'ing would be something I liked so much until I joined the volly department.

Thanks for any input

The reason for the 35 yoa age restriction is the pension rules. All FF are required to enroll in the NJ Police and Fire Fighters Pension System. They have a rule that the maximum age for enrollment is 35. There are several exceptions such as vol. FF service that provide an exemption. But that exemption is only valid if you are volunteering in the same FD as your volunteer service is in. For example, you couldn't be a volly in Podunk and get an age exemption to take the job in Jersey City. However, if you were a volunteer in Morristown, you could get an age exemption for the Morristown job.

The downside to this is that if you take advantage of the age exemption, you are barred from membership in the police and fire pension. You will have to enroll in the NJ Public Employees Retirement System. This is a REAL big penalty. PERS does not provide many of the pension benefits currently enjoyed by PFRS members. These include not being able to retire until age 62, a lower retirement percentage, lesser medical benefits, etc.

You can find more info here: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/pfrsman.htm