Enhance Firefighter Benefits and Representation.

SB 86 increases North Carolina firefighters' monthly pension payments from $175 to $180 starting January 1, 2025, for eligible members who reach age 55 with 20 years of service. It updates disability benefit rules, clarifies death benefits for firefighters killed on duty (including monthly payments to surviving spouses or beneficiaries), and adds protections for members displaced by city annexations or department takeovers. These changes directly affect current and future firefighters, rescue squad workers, their families, and members whose departments are absorbed by municipalities. The bill modifies existing pension fund statutes without creating new programs or altering contribution requirements.