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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Firechaplainorg Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 823225102
GA · NTEE M01
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Frank Mercer, Executive Director / CEO ($72,043) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 296 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 89th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Frank Mercer — reported title “Executive Dir.”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

296 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 296 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$2 total compensation of comparable organizations → $244,837 $72,043
$47710th
$1,26125th
$6,360Median
$38,90375th
$72,89090th
$72,043This org · 89th
p10$477
p25$1,261
p50$6,360
p75$38,903
p90$72,890
$72,043

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 GA 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
Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department Inc NC$216,005 Treasurer $1,475 $1,477 2025
Melfa Volunteer Fire And Rescu VA$216,290 Fire Chief $5,300 $4,958 2025
White Plains Volunteer Fire Department Inc NC$215,185 Secretary/treasurer $6,000 $6,006 2025
Lake Dalecarlia Volunteer Fire Depa IN$214,937 Chief $1,250 $1,405 2022
Family Assistance Education & Research F WA$214,674 Executive Director $84,000 $74,796 2024
Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group TX$214,648 Ex Director $71,194 $72,920 2023
Fishers Island Fire Department NY$216,886 Fire Chief $3,000 $2,696 2024
Kauai Sailing Association HI$214,355 Treasurer $40,275 $36,921 2023
Blounts Creek Volunteer Fire Dept NC$217,685 Chief $3,000 $3,004 2025
Rio Grande Volunteer Fire Co #1 Inc NJ$217,708 President $1,200 $1,066 2024
Manor Volunteer Fire Department PA$213,195 President $240 $238 2024
Shop On State Inc IA$212,753 Manager $24,301 $25,781 2025
National Committee On Uniform Traffic Control Devices AZ$218,831 Executive Secretary $87,750 $83,931 2024
Option Independent Fire Company Of PA$212,217 President $480 $490 2023
Albany Area Volunteer Fire Dep OH$219,413 Fire Chief $390 $400 2025
Chautauqua Children's Safety NY$211,744 Executive Di $81,073 $72,860 2024
Hope Engine Company Number 1 Of White Plains New York NY$220,265 Treasurer $300 $278 2023
Litchfield County Fire Chiefs Emergency CT$220,415 School Director $6,150 $5,905 2023
Helene Rebuild Collaborative NC$210,920 Executive Director $5,198 $5,342 2024
Georges Creek Ambulance Service Inc MD$210,889 President $1,636 $1,521 2024
Freehold Volunteer Fire Company Inc NY$220,673 President $500 $463 2023
Lake Kabetogama Area Vol Fire Dept MN$221,132 Treasurer $3,600 $3,446 2025
Flint Police Foundation Inc MI$210,002 Executive Di $60,000 $61,592 2024
Beverly Hills Cpr CA$209,480 Secretary $65,360 $54,684 2025
Metropolitan Safety Council Of LA$222,087 President, Director $33,963 $37,194 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to GA cost of living and 2024 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 GA 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 default89th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)89th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted92nd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted87th

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 (Frank Mercer) 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 296 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (M), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $72,043 is reasonable (approximately the 89th 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.