Fire Pension Scheme

If you were to die in service as a member of the FPS 2007, a death grant would be payable. This would normally be 3 times your pensionable pay as at the date of death. If you work part time, the death grant payable is 3 times your pro rata pensionable pay.

If a firefighter dies after retirement, having received a pension for less than 5 years, there is a death grant payable. The amount payable is the difference between the pension received and the sum that would have been payable over the 5 year period.

The Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) has absolute discretion as to whom the death grant should be paid to, but they may have regard to any nomination.

What if I am a Retained firefighter?

The death grant payable in the event of your death will be based on a proportion of your full time equivalent pensionable pay, adjusted according to your pensionable service. The death grant payable is 3 times this sum.

• Survivor Benefits

  In the event of your death (whether before or after retirement), a pension will be paid to a surviving spouse, civil partner, cohabiting partner or child.

  If the deceased was an active member, the spouse's or partner's pension would be half of the higher tier level of benefits to which the firefighter would be entitled if he/she had retired on health grounds on the date of death. The child's pension would be one quarter of the same amount; where there is more than one eligible child, the pension would be one half of the same amount divided between the children.

  If the deceased had left the FPS 2007 and was entitled to a deferred pension, but that pension had not yet come into payment, the spouse's or partner's pension would be half of the deferred pension. The child's pension would be one quarter of the deferred pension; where there is more than one eligible child, the pension would be one half of the deferred pension divided between the children.

  If the deceased was in receipt of a pension from the FPS 2007 at the time of death, the spouse's or partner's pension would be half of the pension, the child's pension would be one quarter of the pension; where there is more than one eligible child, the pension would be one half of the pension divided between the children. (The pension would be the value of the pension before any reduction for early payment but after commutation).

  A spouse's or partner's pension is payable for life, even if he/she marries, remarries, forms a civil partnership or a subsequent civil partnership. Also, there is no difference in treatment according to whether the marriage/partnership commenced before or after the Scheme member's retirement.

  Please Note

  If the spouse or partner is more than 12 years younger than the deceased, the spouse or partner's pension will be reduced by 2.5% for every year or part year above the 12 years, to a maximum of 50%.

  For the first 13 weeks following death, the spouse's or partner's pension will be topped up to the level of the deceased's pensionable pay (death in service) or the pension in payment (death after pension comes into payment). This top-up would not apply in the case of a deferred pension which had not come into payment at the date of death.

• Children's Pensions

  When a member of the FPS 2007 dies (before or after retirement), a pension will be paid to an eligible child. The child's eligibility is assessed by dependency on the Scheme member – he/she must have been dependent at the date of death and;

  • a child of the member's marriage or civil partnership (where a marriage or civil partnership took place on or before the last day of service);
  • an adopted child (where the adoption took place on or before the last day of service);
  • a step-child (where on or before the last day of service the firefighter and the child's parent were married or formed a civil partnership and the child was subsequently dependent on the firefighter); or
  • any other child provided the child was substantially dependent on the firefighter both at the last day of service and at the date of death (if different).

  Account must also be taken of the child's age. If the child is below age 18, the pension will be payable in all cases. If age 18 or over and under age 23, the pension will be payable only if the child was in whole-time education or permanently disabled at the date of the member's death and has been since. If a child has attained age 23, the pension will be payable only if the child was permanently disabled at the date of the member's death and has been since.

  The amount of a child's pension due would depend upon the number of eligible children and whether or not the child or children have a surviving parent.