Auditor General DePasquale Releases Audits for 45 Volunteer Firefighter Relief Associations in 23 Counties


June 05 2014
Press Release Image

Auditor General DePasquale Releases Audits for 45 Volunteer Firefighter Relief Associations in 23 Counties

HARRISBURG (June 5, 2014) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today announced the release of 45 audit reports for volunteer firefighter relief associations in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Butler, Carbon, Clinton, Columbia, Dauphin, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montgomery, Perry, Potter, Schuylkill, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland and York counties.

The Department of the Auditor General examines volunteer firefighter 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 2013, $72 million in state funds was required to be distributed through funding municipalities to nearly 1,950 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.

Allegheny County
Hamar Township VFRA – No findings

Ross Township 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.

Springdale VFRA – No findings

Armstrong County
Elderton VFRA – No findings

Beaver County
Midland VFRA – No findings

Berks County
Barto VFRA – No findings

Grill 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 financial record-keeping and non-compliance with prior audit recommendations for inadequate record-keeping over membership dues and death assessments and failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster.

Bucks County 
Langhorne 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 minutes of meetings.

Ottsville 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: insufficient bond coverage, unauthorized expenditures and inadequate signatory authority for disbursement of funds.

Richlandtown 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.

Southampton VFRA – No findings

Yardley-Makefield 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 maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster.

Butler County 
Herman 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.

Carbon County 
Lehighton 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 expenditure and untimely deposit of state aid.

Clinton County 
Lamar 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: unauthorized expenditure and inadequate signatory authority for disbursement of funds.

Columbia County
Beaver VFRA – No findings

Centralia VFRA – No findings

Dauphin County 
Grantville 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.

Union Deposit 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 officer’s bond coverage.

Delaware County
Brookhaven 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: insufficient officer’s bond coverage and failure to maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster.

Clifton Heights VFRA – No findings

Lower Chichester 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: failure to secure ownership of assets, untimely deposit of state aid and inadequate relief association bylaws.

Lackawanna County 
Fleetville VFRA – No findings

Taylor No. 1 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 minutes of meetings and undocumented expenditure.

Lancaster County 
Brecknock Township – No findings

East Petersburg VFRA – No findings

Luzerne County
Laflin VFRA – No findings

Hunlock Creek 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: unauthorized expenditure.

Lycoming County 
Black Forest 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 hold meetings, maintain minutes of meetings and maintain officers.

South Williamsport 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: insufficient bond coverage and untimely receipt and deposit of state aid.

Montgomery County 
Abington VFRA – No findings

Conshohocken VFRA – No findings

Pennsburg VFRA – No findings

West Pottsgrove VFRA – No findings

Perry County 
Marysville VFRA – No findings

Potter County 
Coudersport VFRA – No findings

Schuylkill County
Goodwill VFRA – No findings

Ringtown Valley 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: unauthorized expenditure.

Warren County 
Clarendon VFRA – No findings

Washington County
North Strabane 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.

Westmoreland County
Hunker VFRA – No findings

Idle Park VFRA – No findings

South New Kingston 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 maintain a complete and accurate equipment roster.

Trauger VFRA – No findings

York County 
Dover VFRA – No findings

# # #

Return to search results