(a) A firefighter for a participating municipality who was employed as an active firefighter providing fire protection for a village or incorporated town with a population of greater than 10,000 but less than 11,000 located in a county with a population of greater than 600,000 and less than 700,000, as estimated by the United States Census on July 1, 2004, may elect to establish creditable service for periods of that employment in which the firefighter provided fire protection services for the participating municipality if, by May 1, 2007, the firefighter (i) makes written application to the Board and (ii) pays into the pension fund the amount that the person would have contributed had deductions from salary been made for this purpose at the time the service was rendered, plus interest thereon at 6% per annum compounded annually from the time the service was rendered until the date of payment.
     (b) Time spent providing fire protection on a part-time basis for a village or incorporated town with a population of greater than 10,000 but less than 11,000 located in a county with a population of greater than 600,000 and less than 700,000, as estimated by the United States Census on July 1, 2004, shall be calculated at the rate of one year of creditable service for each 5 years of time spent providing such fire protection, if the firefighter (i) has at least 5 years of creditable service as an active firefighter, (ii) has at least 5 years of such service with a qualifying village or incorporated town, (iii) applies for the creditable service within 30 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, and (iv) contributes to the Fund an amount representing employee contributions for the number of years of creditable service granted under this subsection (b) based on the salary and contribution rate in effect for the firefighter at the date of entry into the fund, as determined by the Board. The amount of creditable service granted under this subsection (b) may not exceed 3 years.
     (c) This subsection applies only to a person who was first employed by a municipality in 2008 to provide fire protection services on a full-time basis as a firefighter or fire chief, but was prevented from participating in a pension fund under this Article until 2015 by reason of the employing municipality’s delay in establishing a pension fund as required under this Article. Such a person may elect to establish creditable service for periods of such employment by that municipality during which he or she did not participate, by applying to the board in writing and paying to the pension fund the employee contributions that he or she would have made had deductions from salary been made for employee contributions at the time the service was rendered, together with interest thereon at the rate of 6% per annum, compounded annually, from the time the service was rendered to the date of payment; except that the granting of such creditable service is contingent upon the consent of the governing body of the municipality and payment to the pension fund by the municipality of the corresponding employer contributions, plus interest.
     For the purposes of Sections 4-109, 4-109.1, and 4-114, and notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, for a person who establishes creditable service under this subsection (c), the date upon which the person first became a participating firefighter under this Article shall be deemed to be no later than the first day of employment for which such creditable service has been granted.