HARRISBURG – May 14, 2012 – State Sen. Tim Solobay is urging local volunteer fire organizations to attend free management training seminars for Voluntary Firefighter’s Relief Organizations.
“Although firefighters spend a lot of time training for emergencies, accounting is not usually among the topics,” Solobay said. “These seminars can help prevent a different kind of emergency for volunteers.”
The two-hour evening workshops were developed by Auditor General Jack Wagner to provide first-hand training in administrative procedures and relief association management.
One of the seminars will be held at Carmichaels Volunteer Fire Department on Wednesday, May 23.
Auditors at the workshop will teach proper record-keeping and discuss common audit findings. They will also review and distribute copies of the 2012 edition of the Department’s Management Guidelines for Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Associations manual. Guidelines are also available on the Department of the Auditor General website: www.auditorgen.state.pa.us.
In 2011, the Department of the Auditor General disbursed more than $112.7 million to 1,955 local VFRAs in the commonwealth. Funds are primarily used to offer financial protection to volunteer emergency service personnel against any disability which might occur during participation in the fire service, as well as to purchase fire equipment, and to pay training expenses.
For information on future training sessions, call the Bureau of Firefighters’ Relief Association Audits at (717) 787-2543, or email dwhite@auditorgen.state.pa.us.
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