Title 41 — Title 41 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT, CIVIL SERVICE, AND PENSIONS

(1) An eligible employee may transfer into the county civil service system for the sheriff's office by filing a written request with the county civil service commission and by giving written notice thereof to the legislative authority of the city or town. Upon receipt of such req…

When a city or town shall contract with the county sheriff's office for law enforcement services and as a result thereof lays off any employee who is eligible to transfer to the county sheriff's office pursuant to RCW 41.14.250 and 41.14.260, the city or town shall notify such em…

In addition to its other duties prescribed by law, the civil service commission shall make such rules and regulations as may be necessary to provide for the orderly integration of employees of a city or town who shall transfer to the county sheriff's office pursuant to RCW 41.14.…

Any classified employee having civil service status in a position may take an appointment in an exempt position in the same county and maintain the right to return to his or her regular position or to a like position at the conclusion of such appointment. Such employee must apply…

For the purpose of this chapter, unless clearly indicated by the context, words and phrases shall have the following meaning:(1) "Beneficiary" shall mean any person or persons designated by a firefighter in a writing filed with the board, and who shall be entitled to receive any …

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2034-S2.SL) ***(1) There is hereby created in each city and town a municipal firefighters' pension board to consist of the following five members, ex officio, the mayor, or in a city of the first class, the mayor or a designated representative who shal…

The board shall meet at least once quarterly, the date to be fixed by regulation of the board, at such other regular times as may be fixed by a regulation of the board; and at any time upon call of the chairperson, of which due advance notice shall be given the other members of t…

The board shall have such general powers as are vested in it by the provisions of this chapter, and in addition thereto, the power to:(1) Generally supervise and control the administration of this chapter and the firefighters' pension fund created hereby.(2) Pass upon and allow o…

There is hereby created and established in the treasury of each municipality a fund which shall be known and designated as the firefighters' pension fund, which shall consist of: (1) All bequests, fees, gifts, emoluments, or donations given or paid thereto; (2) twenty-five percen…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2034-S2.SL) ***(1) It is the duty of the legislative authority of each municipality, each year as a part of its annual tax levy, to levy and place in the fund a tax of twenty-two and one-half cents per thousand dollars of assessed value against all the…

(1) Every firefighter employed on and after January 1, 1947, shall contribute to the fund and there shall be deducted from his or her pay and placed in the fund an amount in accordance with the following table:Firefighter whose age at last birthday Contributions andat time of ent…

Any firefighter employed in a fire department on and before the first day of January, 1947, hereinafter in this section and RCW 41.16.090 to 41.16.190 inclusive, referred to as "firefighter," and who shall have served twenty-five or more years and having attained the age of fifty…

All pensioners receiving a pension under the provisions of this chapter as provided for in section 12, chapter 91, Laws of 1947 and RCW 41.16.230, shall from and after April 25, 1973 receive a minimum pension of three hundred dollars per month.[ 1973 1st ex.s. c 181 s 1; 1967 ex.…

The widow or widower, child, children or beneficiary of any firefighter retired under this chapter shall receive an amount equal to his or her accumulated contributions to the fund, plus earned interest thereon compounded semiannually: PROVIDED, That there shall be deducted from …

Whenever any firefighter shall die while eligible to retirement on account of years of service, and shall not have been retired, benefits shall be paid in accordance with RCW 41.16.100.[ 2007 c 218 s 26; 1959 c 5 s 5; 1957 c 82 s 5. Prior: 1947 c 91 s 8, part; 1935 c 39 s 2, part…

Whenever any active firefighter or firefighter retired for disability shall die as the result of an accident or other fortuitous event occurring while in the performance of his or her duty, his widow or her widower may elect to accept a monthly pension equal to one-half the decea…

(1) Any firefighter who shall become disabled as a result of the performance of his or her duty or duties as defined in this chapter, may be retired at the expiration of six months from the date of his or her disability, upon his or her written request filed with his or her retir…

Any firefighter who has served more than fifteen years and sustains a disability not in the performance of his or her duty which renders him or her unable to continue his or her service, shall within sixty days exercise his or her choice either to receive his or her contribution …

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2034-S2.SL) ***The amount of all benefits payable under the provisions of RCW 41.16.080, 41.16.120, 41.16.130, 41.16.140 and 41.16.230 shall be increased annually as hereafter in this section provided. The local pension board shall meet subsequent to M…

(1) Any firefighter who has served twenty years or more and who shall resign or be dismissed, shall have the option of receiving all his or her contributions plus earned interest compounded semiannually, or a monthly pension in the amount of his or her average monthly salary time…

Whenever any firefighter, after four years of service, shall die from natural causes, or from an injury not sustained in the performance of his or her duty and for which no pension is provided in this chapter, and who has not been retired on account of disability, his widow or he…

Whenever a firefighter dies leaving no widow or widower or children, the amount of his or her accumulated contributions, plus accrued compounded interest only, shall be paid his or her beneficiary.[ 2007 c 218 s 33; 1973 1st ex.s. c 154 s 67; 1959 c 5 s 11; 1957 c 82 s 11. Prior:…

Upon the death of any active firefighter, firefighter who is disabled, or retired firefighter, the board shall pay from the fund the sum of two hundred dollars to assist in defraying the funeral expenses of such firefighter.[ 2007 c 218 s 34; 1959 c 5 s 12; 1957 c 82 s 12. Prior:…

No firefighter disabled in the performance of duty shall receive a pension until six months has elapsed after such disability was sustained. Therefore, whenever the retirement board, pursuant to examination by the board's physician and such other evidence as it may require, shall…

The board shall require all firefighters receiving disability pensions to be examined every six months. All such examinations shall be made by physicians duly appointed by the board. If a firefighter shall fail to submit to such examination within ten days of having been so order…

(1) Funds or assets on hand in the firefighters' relief and pension fund of any municipality established under the provisions of chapter 50, Laws of 1909, as amended, after payment of warrants drawn upon and payable therefrom, shall, by the city treasurer, be transferred to and p…

Any person who was a member of the fire department and within the provisions of chapter 50, Laws of 1909, as amended, at the time he or she entered, and is an honorably discharged veteran or received a discharge for physical reasons with an honorable record from the armed forces,…

Chapter 50, Laws of 1909; chapter 196, Laws of 1919; chapter 86, Laws of 1929, and chapter 39, Laws of 1935 (secs. 9559 to 9578, incl., Rem. Rev. Stat.; secs. 396-1 to 396-43, incl., PPC) and all other acts or parts of acts in conflict herewith are hereby repealed: PROVIDED, That…

Any fire protection district having a full paid fire department may by resolution of its board of fire commissioners provide for the participation of its full time employees in a pension program in the same manner, with the same powers, and with the same force and effect as to su…

If all or any portion of a fire protection district is annexed to or incorporated into a city or town, or is succeeded by a metropolitan municipal corporation or county fire department, no full time paid firefighter affected by such annexation, incorporation or succession shall r…

See RCW 41.18.210.

The provisions of chapter 5, Laws of 1959 are intended to be remedial and procedural and any benefits heretofore paid to recipients hereunder pursuant to any previous act are retroactively included and authorized as a part of chapter 5, Laws of 1959.[ 1959 c 5 s 14.]

(1) The provisions of this section are procedural and remedial.(2) The application and effect of chapter 178, Laws of 1975 1st ex. sess. shall be retroactive to and including May 6, 1974. Each benefit being paid on June 4, 1975, shall then be adjusted as if chapter 178, Laws of 1…

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …

For the purpose of this chapter, unless clearly indicated otherwise by the context, words and phrases shall have the meaning hereinafter ascribed.(1) "Basic salary" means the basic monthly salary, including longevity pay, attached to the rank held by the retired firefighter at th…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2034-S2.SL) ***(1) There is hereby created in each fire protection district which qualifies under this chapter, a firefighters' pension board to consist of the following five members, the chairperson of the fire commissioners for said district who shal…

The board, in addition to such general and special powers as are vested in it by the provisions of chapter 41.16 RCW, which powers the board shall have with respect to this chapter shall have power to:(1) Generally supervise and control the administration of this chapter;(2) Pass…

Every firefighter to whom this chapter applies shall contribute to the firefighters' pension fund a sum equal to six percent of his or her basic salary which shall be deducted therefrom and placed in the fund.[ 2007 c 218 s 44; 1961 c 255 s 2; 1955 c 382 s 3.]Notes:Intent—Finding…

Whenever any firefighter, *at the time of taking effect of this act or thereafter, shall have been appointed under civil service rules and have served for a period of twenty-five years or more as a member in any capacity of the regularly constituted fire department of any city, t…

(1) Any retired firefighter married to a spouse ineligible for survivor benefits under RCW 41.18.040, 41.18.080, and 41.18.100 may choose an actuarially equivalent benefit adopted by the board that pays the retired firefighter a reduced retirement allowance, and upon death such p…

Upon the death of a firefighter who is eligible to retire under RCW 41.18.040 as now or hereafter amended, but who has not retired, a pension shall be paid to his widow or her widower at the same monthly rate that he or she was eligible to receive at the time of his or her death,…

Every firefighter who shall become disabled as a result of the performance of duty may be retired at the expiration of six months from the date of his or her disability, upon his or her written request filed with his or her retirement board. The board may, upon such request being…

Whenever the retirement board, pursuant to examination by the board's physician and such other evidence as it may require, shall find a firefighter has been disabled while in the performance of his or her duties it shall declare the firefighter inactive. For a period of six month…

Any firefighter who has completed his or her probationary period and has been permanently appointed, and sustains a disability not in the performance of his or her duty which renders him or her unable to continue his or her service, may request to be retired by filing a written r…

The board shall require all firefighters receiving disability pensions to be examined every six months: PROVIDED, That no such examinations shall be required if upon certification by physicians the board shall formally enter upon its records a finding of fact that the disability …

In the event a firefighter is killed in the performance of duty, or in the event a firefighter retired on account of service-connected disability shall die from any cause, his widow or her widower shall receive a monthly pension under one of the following applicable provisions: (…

The provisions of RCW 41.18.040 and 41.18.100 shall be applicable to all firefighters employed prior to March 1, 1970, but shall not apply to any former firefighter who has terminated his or her employment prior to July 1, 1969.[ 2007 c 218 s 52; 1969 ex.s. c 209 s 32.]Notes:Inte…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2034-S2.SL) ***The amount of all benefits payable under the provisions of RCW 41.18.040, 41.18.080, 41.18.100 and 41.18.200 as now or hereafter amended, shall be increased annually as hereafter in this section provided. The local pension board shall me…

Any firefighter who shall have served for a period of less than twenty-five years, or who shall be less than fifty years of age, and shall resign, or be dismissed from the fire department for a reason other than conviction for a felony, shall be paid the amount of his or her cont…

The board shall pay from the firefighters' pension fund upon the death of any active or retired firefighter the sum of $1,000, to assist in defraying the funeral expenses of such firefighter.[ 2024 c 169 s 1; 2007 c 218 s 54; 1961 c 255 s 7; 1955 c 382 s 13.]Notes:Intent—Finding—…