§ 15. Expense for rehabilitating injured volunteer firefighters. A volunteer firefighter, who as a result of injury is or may be expected to be totally or partially incapacitated for a remunerative occupation and who, under the direction of the state education department is being rendered fit to engage in a remunerative occupation, may receive such additional financial benefit necessary for his or her rehabilitation as the workers' compensation board shall determine. Not more than thirty dollars per week of such additional amount shall be expended for maintenance. Such expense and such of the administrative expenses of the state education department as are properly assignable to the expenses of rehabilitating such volunteer firefighters shall be paid out of the vocational rehabilitation fund created pursuant to subdivision nine of section fifteen of the workers' compensation law. Any such volunteer firefighter for the purposes of such fund shall be considered an employee of the political subdivision liable for the payment of benefits to such volunteer firefighter under this chapter and such "employer" or its insurance carrier, as the case may be, shall make the same financial contribution to such fund as required by such subdivision nine in every case of injury causing death of a volunteer firefighter in which there are no persons entitled to financial benefits under this chapter other than (1) funeral expenses and (2) the death benefit provided in subdivision two of section seven of this chapter.