Tipton-Antis Volunteer Fire Company liquidating assets

Blair judge approves settlement between state AG’s office, Tipton-Antis Volunteer Fire Company

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Following an investigation by the state Attorney General's Office, officials of an area fire company, which was decertified last year, have agreed to liquidate its assets and pay a sizeable fine.

Last week, Blair County President Judge Elizabeth Doyle approved a settlement agreement between the Attorney General's Office and the Tipton-Antis Volunteer Fire Company.

"The Attorney General and I talked about it, and we realized the best thing for everybody was to settle it given the expense and time," said Paul Puskar, a local attorney representing the fire company.

In September, the Attorney General's Office filed a petition for citation against the fire company in Blair County Orphan's Court.

The filing asked Tipton-Antis leaders to explain why they should not be held accountable for a number of alleged missteps and launched an investigation into possible wrongdoing. During that investigation, which included an examination of financial records, "technical violations" were found in the company's bookkeeping, Puskar said.

"The proper records were not kept," he said.

For those violations, the settlement -- a consent decree approved Feb. 28 by Doyle -- requires fire company officials to pay civil penalties totaling $5,000.

That is in addition to the $10,028 cost of the attorney general's investigation and court fees, which company officials also agreed to pay.

The fire company, which was established in 1960, was shut down by Antis Township supervisors in early June, when supervisors voted unanimously for decertification, meaning the company could no longer respond to emergencies.

The vote came after an audit conducted by Fiore, Fedeli, Snyder and Carothers LLP revealed negative findings, mostly dealing with a lack of documentation and a lack of internal controls within the company's leadership.

Despite those financial penalties, Puskar pointed out that involved parties "agreed readily there would be no individual liability or individual wrongdoing" attributed to fire company officials.

In addition to paying the agreed-upon $15,028, fire company officials are required to liquidate the company assets, including vehicles and property, Puskar said.

"Everything," he said. "Lock, stock and barrel."

Within the settlement, state officials nominated attorney Brandon Ryan as liquidating receiver -- a person with the authority to investigate claims for and against the company, as well as to liquidate the company's assets through public or private sales.

Ryan will operate under the supervision of attorney Shawn Sullivan.

On Wednesday, Sullivan said the liquidation is necessary because of the fire company's prior decertification, which does not allow members to meet standards set up in the company's articles of incorporation.

The fire company's articles of incorporation state: "It is the mission of the Tipton Volunteer Fire Company to provide the highest quality of service in the protection of life and property through the prevention and extinguishment of fires, the rescue of entrapped victims, and/or other type of incident in which this company may be called to service."

The liquidation process requires selling off assets, "probably" through auction, as well as settling debts owed to and by the fire company, Sullivan said.

After that, remaining money will be distributed by the Attorney General's Office to "other charities that provide a similar service to that charity that is being dissolved," Sullivan said.

The recipient charity, Puskar said, has not been chosen.

"What happens to that money remains to be seen," he said.

However, Sullivan said the recipient likely will be from within the Antis Township area.

"We would try to keep it within the same community," he said, explaining the liquidation process has only recently begun.

Mirror Staff Writer Sean Sauro is at 946-7535.