Auditor General DePasquale Releases Audits for Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Associations in 24 Counties


October 20 2016
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Auditor General DePasquale Releases Audits for Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Associations in 24 Counties

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HARRISBURG (Oct. 20, 2016) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today announced the release of audit reports for volunteer firefighters’ relief associations in Adams, Allegheny, Bucks, Cambria, Centre, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, McKean, Mercer, Montgomery, Perry, Schuylkill, Somerset, Susquehanna, Westmoreland and Wyoming counties.

The Department of the Auditor General examines volunteer firefighters’ relief associations, which receive state aid from a 2 percent state tax on fire insurance premiums purchased by Pennsylvania residents from out-of-state casualty insurance companies.

In 2016, $65.5 million in state funds was required to be distributed through funding municipalities to 1,915 VFRAs to provide training, purchase equipment and insurance, and pay for death benefits for volunteer firefighters. 

 The full audit reports for VFRAs with findings are available online using the links provided below, others are available online at: www.PaAuditor.gov/audit-reports.

Adams County

Barlow VFRA – No findings  

Allegheny County

Chalfant VFRA – No findings  

Elizabeth Township Fire Department No. 1 VFRA  – No findings 

Oak Ridge VFRA  

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for four findings: inadequate minutes of meetings, untimely deposit of state aid, unauthorized expenditure and insufficient bond coverage. 

West Elizabeth VFRA 

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: unsecured loan. 

Bucks County

Nottingham VFRA

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for two findings: failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster and failure to maintain a complete and accurate membership roster. 

Sellersville VFRA – No findings

Cambria County

Colver VFRA – No findings 

Dauntless VFRA

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: insufficient bond coverage.

Centre County

Pine Glen VFRA  

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: failure to deposit state aid.

Columbia County

Beaver Township VFRA 

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for two findings: inadequate signatory authority for the disbursement of funds, and failure to conduct annual physical equipment inventories. 

Bloomsburg VFRA – No findings 

Crawford County

Hydetown VFRA – No findings 

Cumberland County

North Middleton Township Fire Co. No. 1 VFRA – No findings 

Delaware County

Ridley Township VFRA – No findings 

Fayette County

Connellsville Township VFRA – No findings 

Franklin County

Marion VFRA – No findings 

New Franklin VFRA 

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: non-compliance with prior audit recommendation for failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster. 

Pleasant Hall VFRA 

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: failure to secure ownership interest in jointly purchased equipment. 

Huntingdon County

Mill Creek Borough VFRA – No findings 

Stone Creek Valley VFRA – No findings 

Lackawanna County

Blakely Borough VFRA – No findings

Greenfield Township VFRA – No findings  

Lancaster County

Adamstown VFRA  

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: failure to secure ownership interest in a jointly purchased vehicle. 

Akron VFRA – No findings  

Brecknock Township VFRA – No findings  

West Earl VFRA – No findings 

Luzerne County

Ashley Rescue Hose Co. No. 1 VFRA – No findings  

Sugar Notch VFRA – No findings 

McKean County

Derrick City VFRA – No findings  

Port Alleghany VFRA – No findings  

Mercer County

Greenville VFRA – No findings 

Montgomery County

Fairmount VFRA 

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: insufficient bond coverage.

Lower Frederick VFRA

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for two findings: untimely deposit of state aid and inadequate financial record-keeping system.

Perry County

Blain VFRA – No findings  

Schuylkill County

Ashland VFRA  

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: inadequate investment records.

Gilberton Borough VFRA 

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for three findings: inadequate investment records, failure to maintain a Pennsylvania sale tax exemption number and non-compliance with prior audit recommendation for inadequate relief association bylaws.

Somerset County 

Krings VFRA – No findings  

Meyersdale VFRA – No findings  

Susquehanna County

Thompson VFRA  

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for two findings: unauthorized expenditures and untimely deposit of state aid.

Westmoreland County

Avonmore VFRA 

Received and expended state aid and accumulated relief funds in compliance with applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws and administrative procedures, except for one finding: untimely deposit of state aid.

Turkeytown – South Huntingdon Township VFRA – No findings  

Wyoming County 

Meshoppen VFRA – No findings 

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