The Parkview Volunteer Fire Department Relief Association made more than $6,000 in unauthorized purchases and failed to keep meeting minutes, according to a recent report by the state Auditor General’s Office.

AG Press Secretary Gary Miller said via email June 28 that the findings were “fairly typical” of volunteer firefighter relief associations and not what the department would classify as egregious or extreme.

Multiple attempts to reach the Parkview relief association were unsuccessful.

The auditor general’s report stated that the Parkview association spent $6,455 for eight Motorola radios, eight speaker mics and one charger for emergency medical service personnel between Jan. 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2021.

Funds from the Volunteer Firefighter Relief Association Act are to be spent “to purchase safeguards for preserving life, health and safety of volunteer firefighters to ensure their availability to participate in the volunteer fire service,” according to the AG’s report.

The purchase benefiting emergency medical services does not comply with the VFRA Act as an allowable expense, according to the report.

It recommended that the relief association be reimbursed for the expenditure.

“In many cases, VFRA officials simply may not be aware of what qualifies as an authorized expense,” Miller said.

“That appears to have been the case with the EMS radio equipment purchase that our auditors flagged. Parkview officials agreed with the audit findings and indicated they would take action to come into compliance. We’ll verify that they did in our next audit.”

The auditor general’s report stated, “As a result of this improper expenditure, relief association funds were not available for investment purposes or to pay for expenditures authorized by the VFRA Act.”

“Furthermore, the relief association’s future state aid allocations may be withheld until the finding recommendation is complied with.”

The audit also found the O’Hara-based Parkview VFRA did not maintain minutes of its meetings.

“Without detailed minutes of meetings, evidence that relief association business was presented before the membership for approval does not exist,” the report stated.

The AG’s office recommended the relief association keep a permanent record of its meetings as required by the VFRA Act.

Firefighter relief associations are separate legal entities from affiliated volunteer fire departments, in this case the Parkview Volunteer Fire Department.

Miller said the audits can be very educational for relief associations across the state.

“They are intended to help VFRAs comply with state law’s requirements on how state aid may be spent.”

The Office of the State Fire Commissioner maintains a database to help VFRA officials stay in compliance with various aspects of the law.

It can be found online at osfc.sfa.pa.gov/fra.

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