For the purpose of this chapter, unless clearly indicated otherwise by the context, words and phrases shall have the meaning hereinafter ascribed.

(1) “Basic salary” means the basic monthly salary, including longevity pay, attached to the rank held by the retired firefighter at the date of his or her retirement, without regard to extra compensation which such firefighter may have received for special duties assignments not acquired through civil service examination: PROVIDED, That such basic salary shall not be deemed to exceed the salary of a battalion chief.

(2) “Beneficiary” shall mean any person or persons designated by a firefighter in a writing filed with the board, and who shall be entitled to receive any benefits of a deceased firefighter under this chapter.

(3) “Board” shall mean the municipal firefighters’ pension board.

(4) “Child” or “children” means a firefighter’s child or children under the age of eighteen years, unmarried, and in the legal custody of such firefighter at the time of his death or her death.

(5) “Contributions” shall mean and include all sums deducted from the salary of firefighters and paid into the fund as hereinafter provided.

(6) “Disability” shall mean and include injuries or sickness sustained by a firefighter.

(7) “Earned interest” means and includes all annual increments to the firefighters’ pension fund from income earned by investment of the fund. The earned interest payable to any firefighter when he or she leaves the service and accepts his or her contributions, shall be that portion of the total earned income of the fund which is directly attributable to each individual firefighter’s contributions. Earnings of the fund for the preceding year attributable to individual contributions shall be allocated to individual firefighters’ accounts as of January 1st of each year.

(8) “Fire department” shall mean the regularly organized, full time, paid, and employed force of firefighters of the municipality.

(9) “Firefighter” means any person hereafter regularly or temporarily, or as a substitute newly employed and paid as a member of a fire department, who has passed a civil service examination for firefighters and who is actively employed as a firefighter or, if provided by the municipality by appropriate local legislation, as a fire dispatcher: PROVIDED, Nothing in chapter 209, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. shall impair or permit the impairment of any vested pension rights of persons who are employed as fire dispatchers at the time chapter 209, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. takes effect; and any person heretofore regularly or temporarily, or as a substitute, employed and paid as a member of a fire department, and who has contributed under and been covered by the provisions of chapter 41.16 RCW as now or hereafter amended and who has come under the provisions of this chapter in accordance with RCW 41.18.170 and who is actively engaged as a firefighter or as a member of the fire department as a firefighter or fire dispatcher.

(10) “Fund” shall have the same meaning as in RCW 41.16.010 as now or hereafter amended. Such fund shall be created in the manner and be subject to the provisions specified in chapter 41.16 RCW as now or hereafter amended.

(11) “Municipality” shall mean every city, town, fire protection district, or regional fire protection service authority having a regularly organized full time, paid, fire department employing firefighters.

(12) “Performance of duty” shall mean the performance of work or labor regularly required of firefighters and shall include services of an emergency nature normally rendered while off regular duty.

(13) “Retired firefighter” means and includes a person employed as a firefighter and retired under the provisions of this chapter.

(14) “Widow or widower” means the surviving spouse of a firefighter and shall include the surviving wife, husband, or state registered domestic partner of a firefighter, retired on account of length of service, who was lawfully married to, or in a state registered domestic partnership with, him or to her for a period of five years prior to the time of his or her retirement; and the surviving wife, husband, or state registered domestic partner of a firefighter, retired on account of disability, who was lawfully married to, or in a state registered domestic partnership with, him or her at and prior to the time he or she sustained the injury or contracted the illness resulting in his or her disability. The word shall not mean the divorced wife or husband or former state registered domestic partner of an active or retired firefighter.

Effective dates—2009 c 521 §§ 5-8, 79, 87-103, 107, 151, 165, 166, 173-175, and 190-192: See note following RCW 2.10.900.

Intent—Finding—2007 c 218: See note following RCW 41.08.020.

Severability—1973 1st ex.s. c 154: See note following RCW 2.12.030.

Effective date—Severability—Construction—1969 ex.s. c 209: See RCW 41.26.3901, 41.26.3902, and 41.26.3903.

Severability—1961 c 255: “If any clause, part or section of this act shall be adjudged in violation of the constitution, or for any reason invalid, such judgment shall not affect nor invalidate the remainder of the act, nor any clause, part or section thereof, but such judgment shall be confined in its operation to the clause, part or section directly involved in the controversy in which judgment was rendered, and the balance of the act shall remain in full force and effect.” [ 1961 c 255 § 13.]