For purposes of this Article, eligible firefighters must attend 36 hours of training sessions in each calendar year. Each eligible fire department shall annually determine and report a certified roster of the names of those firefighters meeting the eligibility qualifications of this Article to its respective governing body, which upon determination of the validity and accuracy of the qualification, the department shall promptly submit the list to the North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association. Submission of such information by a department to the North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association constitutes a certification of its accuracy under accounting standards set forth by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board of the Financial Accounting Foundation. The North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association shall provide a list of those persons meeting the eligibility requirements of this Article to the State Treasurer by January 31 of each year. For the purposes of the preceding sentences, the governing body of a fire department operated: by a county is the county board of commissioners; by a city is the city council; by a sanitary district is the sanitary district board; by a corporation, whether profit or nonprofit, is the corporation’s board of directors; and by any other entity is that group designated by the board. An “eligible firefighter” may not also qualify as an “eligible rescue squad worker” in order to receive double benefits available under this Article. (1957, c. 1420, s. 1; 1959, c. 1212, s. 1; 1981, c. 1029, s. 1; 1983, c. 416, s. 7; 1985, c. 241; 2000-67, s. 26.22; 2001-222, s. 1; 2003-362, s. 1; 2009-66, s. 2(b); 2013-284, s. 1(a); 2015-88, s. 3; 2016-51, s. 6.)