Emergency Responder Leave Policy
(IL)

Summary

This template is an emergency responder leave policy that governs leave time for volunteer firefighters, members of volunteer ambulance services, and other volunteer emergency workers in Illinois. This template includes practical guidance, drafting notes, and an optional clause. This template is intended for private employers. Employers may include this policy in an employee handbook or distribute it as standalone policy. For a non-jurisdictional employee handbook, see Employee Handbook. Its language complies with Illinois and federal law. Illinois law requires private employers to provide emergency responder leave. Generally, no federal laws explicitly require employers to provide employees time off from work to volunteer as emergency responders, except where the employee may otherwise be entitled to leave under another law. For a full listing of key content covering leaves for employees, see Leaves for Employees Resource Kit. For a full listing of key content covering employee handbook considerations, see Employee Handbook Resource Kit. For more information on Illinois’s emergency responder leave law, see Leave Law (IL) — Disaster Relief Volunteer Leave. For information on state laws concerning emergency responder or disaster relief volunteer leave, see the Other Leaves column of the Attendance, Leaves, and Disabilities State Practice Notes Chart. For recent key Labor & Employment legal developments that may impact this content, see the Labor & Employment Key Legal Developments Tracker (Current).