All persons who were given provisional appointments by the fire department of any city of the second class, and whose services may have been temporarily interrupted through no fault of their own, and who, upon the effective date of this act, have been properly appointed to any position in the fire departments of such cities of the second class, shall be given a civil service status applicable to persons who have been properly appointed and continuously in service since the date upon which such persons were given their original provisional appointment, less such time as they were out of service.
53 P.S. § 23498