Membership of the FPS 2015 is open to any person taking up employment as a firefighter with a Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) on or after 1 April 2015, on terms under which they are, or may be, required to engage in firefighting, and whose role includes resolving operational incidents, or leading and supporting others in the resolution of such incidents.
You will be automatically put into the scheme when you start employment. It does not matter what duty system you are contracted to work – you can be a whole-time or part-time regular firefighter, a retained duty system firefighter or a volunteer. However, if you are employed on a temporary basis you may not be allowed to join.
If you are later moved to a firefighting role that does not include resolution of operational incidents, you can stay in the scheme as long as your service is continuous.
Firefighters who were serving before 1 April 2015 and were members of FPS 1992 or FPS 2006, will have been transferred to FPS 2015 on 1 April 2015 unless on 1 April 2012 they were:
(a) a member of FPS 1992 and within 10 years of the FPS 1992 normal pension age (55),
(b) a member of FPS 2006 and within 10 years of the FPS 2006 normal retirement age (60), or
(c) a member of FPS 1992 or FPS 2006 and covered by "tapered protection" rules.
Those in categories (a) and (b) above can stay in their current scheme until 2022; those in category (c) can stay in their current scheme until they reach the date at which their tapered protection ends.
From 1 April 2022, all firefighters will be members of the FPS 2015.
Those who are moved from an earlier scheme, whether at 1 April 2015 or at a later date under tapered protection rules, are considered eligible to be members of FPS 2015 even if they no longer meet the operational requirements set out above, as long as there is continuity of service.
You can elect to join the FPS 2015 at any time if you are eligible. Firefighter members of FPS 1992 or FPS 2006 who choose to opt out of their current scheme may re-join as an FPS 2015 member if they are not allowed back into their previous scheme.