(a) No person otherwise properly admitted to the fund shall be excluded from continuing membership therein solely because the member's employment by or service with a fire department is not in the capacity of a firefighter or volunteer firefighter, but no credit shall be given for service rendered in any month by any member of the fund unless such service is rendered as a firefighter or volunteer firefighter and no benefits payable by the terms of this chapter to a firefighter or volunteer firefighter shall be payable to any member unless such member is serving as a firefighter or volunteer firefighter at the time such benefits are earned or become payable, except as otherwise provided in Code Section 47-7-43. For any period during which any member provides service which is not creditable, the member shall be deemed to be on leave of absence from the fund.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this Code section, a member may continue membership and may continue to earn credit for service rendered following the member's appointment to an administrative position with a state, county, or municipal public safety unit, provided that a significant responsibility of such administrative position involves direct administrative oversight of the operation of a fire department under the jurisdiction of such public safety unit; and provided, further, that at the time of such appointment the member has acquired by service as a firefighter not less than 15 years of creditable service in the fund. As used in this subsection, the term "direct administrative oversight" means responsibility in a position having authority over the chief of a fire department for budget, personnel, operations, or purchasing functions relating to the fire-fighting functions of the fire department. Any member who was appointed to such an administrative position prior to July 1, 1992, shall receive credit for service rendered from the date of such appointment if such member pays all dues owing for such period, and the provisions of subsection (b) of Code Section 47-7-60 shall not apply to such period.