Any former employee of a department of a city of the first class, who (1) was a member of the employees' retirement system of such city, and (2) is now employed within the fire department of such city, may transfer his or her former membership credit from the city employees' retirement system to the firefighter's pension system created by chapters
41.16 and
41.18 RCW by filing a written request with the board of administration and the municipal firefighters' pension board, respectively.
Upon the receipt of such request, the transfer of membership to the city's firefighter's pension system shall be made, together with a transfer of all accumulated contributions credited to such member. The board of administration shall transmit to the municipal firefighters' pension board a record of service credited to such member which shall be computed and credited to such member as a part of his or her period of employment in the city's firefighter's pension system. For the purpose of the transfer contemplated by this section, those affected individuals who have formerly withdrawn funds from the city employees' retirement system shall be allowed to restore contributions withdrawn from that retirement system directly to the firefighter's pension system and receive credit in the firefighter's pension system for their former membership service in the prior system.
Any employee so transferring shall have all the rights, benefits, and privileges that he or she would have been entitled to had he or she been a member of the city's firefighter's pension system from the beginning of his or her employment with the city.
No person so transferring shall thereafter be entitled to any other public pension, except that provided by chapter
41.26 RCW or social security, which is based upon such service with the city.
The right of any employee to file a written request for transfer of membership as set forth in this section shall expire December 31, 1974.