
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 6, 1993                   TAG: 9308060076
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

AUDIT OF VOLUNTEER SQUAD FUNDS REQUESTED

Roanoke County has asked all volunteer fire companies and rescue squads to give a full accounting of all money raised and spent during the fiscal year ended July 1.

The county's audit committee request was made July 13, the same day Vinton Police Chief Rick Foutz received an anonymous complaint about the town Fire Department's handling of its finances.

The audit committee made its request because volunteer fire departments and rescue squads are the only agencies that receive county funds that have not been required to submit audits each year, county Finance Director Diane Hyatt said.

The county's volunteer fire companies and rescue squad must provide the information before the county will release its contributions for the 1993-94 budget year, Hyatt added.

"We just wanted to know what they have out there," she said.

State police are reviewing Vinton Fire Department records, which show volunteers spent one-third of the $18,398 they collected through fund raising last year for social functions such as initiations and a Christmas banquet.

Fire Chief Barry Fuqua defended the expenditures as reasonable rewards for the department's 34 unpaid volunteers, who respond to calls on weekends and evenings.

Some have suggested the complaint is simply the latest spat between the department's paid firefighters, who answer calls during weekdays, and volunteers.

by CNB