Theft By Firefighters From Volunteer Fire Departments

This video is about a recent theft that occurred in the Cattaraugus, New York Fire Department. While we like to think that such conduct is rare – it is occurring frequently enough that all volunteer fire departments need to take some precautions. Consider the following cases:

  • Already this year, Jack Micah Feltner, the treasurer of the Oak Hill Volunteer Department in West Virginia was charged with stealing more than $375,000 in payments from the city of Oak Hill intended for volunteer firefighters.
  • Also this year Henry Swincinski of the Windber, PA Fire Department was charged with stealing more than $284,000 from the department
  • In 2009, James M. Reid, was charged with fraud and theft from his department while he was Huntertown, Indiana volunteer fire chief
  • In 2009, Kyle Cornell a firefighter with Graham Fire Rescue in Texas was charged with stealing from the fire rescue auxiliary
  • In 2009, Paul Breton of the Island Falls Fire Department in Maine was charged with theft of $10,000 in town funds by submitted for reimbursement of personal expenses claiming they were fire department expenses
  • In 2009, Michael Mantle Gorr of the Fogelsville Fire Company in PA was charged with stealing gasoline for his personal use while filling the fire truck with diesel from the municipal pumps
  • In 2009 Chris Bartlett was charged with stealing from the Warrenton Fire Department, in Oregon
  • In 2007, Howard J. O'Brien, the Evans Mills Fire chief was accused of stealing from the fire company
  • In 2007, Peter Stefan, 60 was charged with stealing money from the Hope Volunteer Fire Department
  • In 2007, John Carbone was charged with embezzling $38,000 from the North Bellmore Fire District

There are many more cases  – I won’t belabor the point.

Cattaraugus County District Attorney Lori Rieman stopped short of a solid recommendation when she said  "it does seem to be getting more common and I'm not sure whether that's the economy or gambling or both, but unfortunately these volunteer organizations, it's hard because you don't know if somebody has a history of that and it's hard to find people that are willing to do it."

Part of the solution is a system of internal checks and balances in each fire company to prevent one or two people from having unfettered access to the organization's funds.  Regular outside audits by a professional auditor are another important  step.

Finally – and this one may be the most painful – everyone in the organization should be subject to a thorough background check at regular intervals. Many times the people who steal from a volunteer fire department, have in the past stolen from other organizations. If they will steal from the fire department, they will steal from their brother and sister firefighters, and they will steal from the people we are there to protect. They need to be removed from our organizations. We don’t need any more black eyes!

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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