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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Burlington Volunteer Fire Department Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 521736392
CT · NTEE M24
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Mark Crowley, Executive Director / CEO ($1,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 83 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 40th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Mark Crowley — reported title “Treasurer”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

83 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 83 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$12 total compensation of comparable organizations → $30,634 $1,000
$29610th
$58725th
$1,460Median
$4,07175th
$11,76290th
$1,000This org · 40th
p10$296
p25$587
p50$1,460
p75$4,071
p90$11,762
$1,000

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to CT cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
New Stanton Volunteer Fire PA$125,745 President $560 $596 2023
North Granville Hose Co Inc NY$125,087 Treasurer $6,000 $5,783 2023
Crafton Volunteer Fire Department PA$128,091 Chief $1,500 $1,550 2024
Kern Fire Safe Council CA$128,350 Vice Chair $27,633 $24,719 2024
Warrior River Fire & Rescue Service AL$130,160 Fire Chief $11,341 $12,693 2024
Ramtown-howell Fire Co No2 NJ$121,255 President $300 $277 2024
Matamoras Fire Department PA$120,456 Secretary $350 $372 2023
Alburtis Fire Company No 1 PA$131,745 Financial Secretary $3,415 $3,528 2024
Mount Hope Fire Co No 1 NJ$119,512 President $2,813 $2,602 2024
Brownstown Volunteer Fire Company PA$133,120 Director $2,329 $2,477 2023
Toms River Volunteer Fire Company #1 NJ$133,149 Treasurer $600 $571 2023
Elkland Borough Volunteer Fire Department Inc PA$134,481 Chief - Firehall; Secretary - Relief $25 $26 2024
Cape May Point Volunteer Fire NJ$117,068 President $9,287 $8,590 2024
Brooklyn Hose Company No 3 PA$135,242 Secretary $28,802 $30,634 2023
Bethany Volunteer Fire Company Incorporated NY$135,338 Treasurer $1,200 $1,124 2024
Hop Bottom Hose Company PA$115,849 Secretary $600 $620 2024
Summit Township Volunteer Fire PA$136,277 Financial Sec/tresurer $8,622 $8,908 2024
Deerfield Volunteer Fire Company I NY$113,918 Secretary $600 $562 2024
Hundred Club Of Genesee Shiawassee MI$137,895 Executive Di $15,000 $16,039 2024
Chippewa Township Vfd PA$113,480 President $500 $517 2024
Community Fire Co Of Pavilion Inc NY$113,359 Treasurer $1,200 $1,124 2024
St Paul Blvd Fire Association Inc NY$138,653 President $500 $482 2023
Auburn Fire Company Ambulance Service PA$139,575 President $13,000 $13,827 2023
Springfield Firemens Relief Assoc MN$111,448 Secretary $1,800 $1,897 2023
Wading River Fire Dept NY$110,167 Secretary $2,100 $2,024 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to CT cost of living and 2023 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to CT cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default40th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)37th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted40th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted40th

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Mark Crowley) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 83 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (M24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $1,000 is reasonable (approximately the 40th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.