Baltimore Sun
HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — Howard County volunteer firefighters said Monday that they were hopeful they could come to an agreement soon after running into some stumbling blocks over a new benefits package offered by the county.
The firefighters came to the County Council’s monthly meeting to testify on a bill that would increase the monthly benefit paid to volunteers once they reach the age of 50 and have attained at least 25 years of active service. But they are concerned that some new requirements would make it difficult for long-term volunteers with less than 25 years of service to get the full scope of benefits down the road.
The benefit is called the Length of Service Award Program, a monthly stipend created to reward volunteers with a history of service in the county. Currently, LoSAP payments are $250 a month. The new bill would nearly double the payment to $459 a month, or 1 percent of the starting salary of a firefighter trainee. According to Howard County officials, this would be the highest benefit offered to volunteer firefighters in the state.
Full story: Howard firefighters, chief testify on proposed volunteer benefits package