TOWANDA, Pa. – Auditor General Tim DeFoor today hosted an information session for Volunteer Fire Relief Associations (VFRAs) in Bradford County to help them effectively and efficiently manage the state funds they receive. Auditor General DeFoor partnered with State Representative Tina Pickett on the event and provided every VFRA in attendance with a copy of the department’s Management Guidelines for Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Associations.
“Our VFRA guide is designed to make the business of running a relief association less complicated so our volunteers can focus on their primary task: keeping their neighbors and communities safe,” Auditor General DeFoor said. “Through these information sessions, we’re providing VFRA officers with suggestions to help comply with state laws that govern how relief associations operate and manage state aid to reduce the risk that auditors will identify problems in future audits.”
The Department of the Auditor General distributes state aid for VFRAs and audits how they use the funds, which comes from a 2% tax on fire insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania by out-of-state companies. In 2025, $73 million went to 2,507 municipalities for distribution to VFRAs to provide training, purchase equipment and insurance, and pay for death benefits for volunteer firefighters.
VFRAs may have future state aid withheld if they do not follow applicable state laws, contracts, bylaws, and administrative procedures. Relief associations are separate legal entities from the fire departments they support.
The department is required by law to audit volunteer fire relief associations and municipal pension plans that receive state aid through the department, liquid fuels tax usage by municipalities, various county offices and many other state government entities.
To learn more about the work we do to ensure Pennsylvania tax dollars are being spent appropriately, visit our Be Audit Smart page and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
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Media Contact: April Hutcheson, Dept. of the Auditor General, 717-787-1381 or news@paauditor.gov