Volunteer firefighters to get life insurance

By: Cleveland County Herald staff

Volunteer firemen in Cleveland County will soon be eligible to receive workers compensation insurance and a $10,000 life insurance policy thanks to a new program offered through the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC).The Cleveland County Quorum Court approved County Judge Jimmy Cummings’ recommendation to buy the workers comp insurance coverage for $20 per volunteer for each of the eligible firefighters in the county. Cummings said the last count he had for volunteer firefighters in the county was 105. The motion approved by the quorum court was to transfer $2,500 to the county’s workers compensation fund to cover the cost.Cummings pointed out that the coverage will only be for county fire departments. He noted that the City of Rison has a tax to take care of its volunteer firefighters.Cummings said he learned about the new workers compensation program at an AAC meeting. He said one motive behind the new program is for workers compensation coverage and the $10,000 life insurance policy to motivate younger volunteers to be firefighters.The new coverage will begin in 2025. Cummings told the quorum court that he will get an updated roster from all the county fire departments before making the payment.Since the cost of the coverage is based on the number of firefighters, there were some justices of the peace questioned about how much the county would have to pay since fire department rosters can change from month to month. Cummings explained that the number will be based on a roster total given before the contract and will be used for the entire year rather than changing it from month to month.The workers compensation for volunteer firefighters was one of several issues that the quorum court addressed during its regular monthly meeting Monday night.

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Volunteer firefighters to get life insurance