"Assistance to Firefighters' Families Act"; doubles pension amounts for beneficiaries of certain deceased volunteer emergency service providers; provides for burial expenses and adjusts life insurance coverage for volunteer firefighters; permits fire code inspection surcharge.

This bill, S 3446 ("Assistance to Firefighters' Families Act"), increases financial support for families of volunteer firefighters and emergency workers who die while serving. It doubles annual survivor pensions (from $15,000 to $30,000 for widows, $10,000 to $20,000 for children, and $5,000 to $10,000 for parents), raises life insurance coverage from $25,000 to $250,000, and requires municipalities to cover reasonable funeral and burial costs not covered by existing associations. The bill also allows municipalities to collect fire code inspection fees to offset enforcement costs under the Uniform Fire Safety Act. These changes directly affect the families of deceased volunteer emergency service providers in New Jersey.