Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced that legislation he helped pass to increase disability benefits for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers injured on the job was recently signed into law (Ch. 523 of 2021).

“Volunteer first responders selflessly put their lives on the line for their community and deserve our utmost appreciation,” Santabarbara said. “Even with the best training and resources, volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers can sustain injuries. The least we can do is fairly compensate these dedicated public servants when accidents occur. That’s why I helped pass a new law to provide a long-overdue increase in disability benefits for these volunteer first responders to let them know that we’ve got their backs, too.”

The law increases the weekly benefit to $650 for firefighter and ambulance worker volunteers who sustain a temporary total disability in the line of duty on or after July 1, 2021. The weekly benefit under the Volunteer Firefighter Benefit Law and Volunteer Ambulance Worker Benefit Law for these injuries had not been updated in more than a decade, Santabarbara noted.