Chap. 384.—An ACT to provide for the relief of volunteer firemen killed or
injured while engaged in fighting fires or in going to or returning i’ 343]

Approved March 22, 1928

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That finan-
cial relief shall be extended by the counties and the cities of Vir-
ginia to volunteer firemen who are killed or injured while engaged
in fighting fire or while responding to an alarm or returning from
the scene of a fire, such relief to be paid in amounts and manner
as hereinafter set forth.

2. Definition of the term volunteer firemen.—For the purposes
of this act the term volunteer firemen shall include only members
of any organized fire-fighting company which has in its possession
and operates fire-fighting apparatus and equipment, whose mem-
bers serve without pay and whose names have been duly certified
by the secretary of such company as active members thereof to the
clerk of the circuit court of the county or corporation court of the
city as the case may be. The respective clerks shall keep a com-
plete and accurate record of all names so certified in a book pro-
vided by the governing body of said county and city. Names shall
be added to or stricken from said record upon the certificate of
the secretary of any such company that such action has heen
decided by his organization in due form.

3. Should any volunteer fireman be killed while actually en-
gaged in fighting fire, or while going to a fire in answer to an
alarm or returning therefrom, the board of supervisors of the
county or the council of the city, in which his company is located
shall pay to his personal representative for the benefit of his estate
the sum of one thousand dollars.

4. Should any volunteer fireman be injured under circumstances
set forth in section three hereof, so as to be totally and perma-
nently disabled from making a livelihood he shall be paid in like
manner the sum of twenty-five dollars per week for forty weeks.

5. Should a volunteer fireman be injured under circumstances
set forth in section three hereof, so as to be prevented from attend-
ing to his usual occupation for a period greater than two weeks
(but not permanently and totally disabled) he shall be paid in like
manner the sum of twenty-five dollars per week until able to return
to his usual occupation, provided, that said payments shall not
continue in any event for a period greater than ten weeks.

6. In addition to the relief set forth in sections three, four and
five, all necessary hospital charges and all necessary and proper
medical, surgical, laboratory and operating room charges for any
volunteer fireman arising out of any injury set forth in sections
three, four and five, shall be paid by said county or city.

7. All funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this act
shall be raised in the case of a city by a general levy on all property
therein subject to taxation for local purposes and in case of a county
one-half thereof shall be raised by a general levy throughout said
county and one-half by levy within the town or magisterial district
in which said fire company is located on all property therein sub-
ject to taxation for local purposes.

8. Any disputed question of fact arising under the operation of
this act shall be triable before the board of supervisors of such
county or city council having jurisdiction of the company involved,
and from the decision of said-board or council both the petitioner
and the county or city as the case may be shall have an appeal of
right to the circuit court of said county or the corporation court
of said city, such appeal on behalf of the county or city to be taken
by the attorney for the Commonwealth or corporation counsel who
shall prosecute the same in the trial court.

9. This act shall not be construed to repeal any special act now
in force in any county or city for the relief of volunteer firemen
or to limit the enactment of further special and local laws for said
purposes.

10. This act shall not become effective in any county or city or
town unless and until the board of supervisors of such county or the
council of such city or town shall adopt and approve the same by
resolution duly passed and spread on its minutes.