The results of a new survey conducted by the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association (IPPFA) indicate the majority of Illinois firefighting and law enforcement professionals continue working in a variety of professions after retiring from their first responder jobs.
Firefighters and law enforcement officers typically retire at a younger age due to the demands of the occupation than those in other lines of work. The IPPFA survey, conducted during the fall and winter of 2020, measured how many of these public safety employees work following their police or fire retirements, the types of jobs the retirees take, and how satisfied they are with their post-retirement employment.
“This is the first in-depth survey of what these first responders do after retiring from their primary careers, which is important because they usually have more years to work after retirement than workers in other professions,” said IPPFA President James McNamee.