Orange Street News
VANDALISM? CORRUPTION? HAVE NO WHERE ELSE TO TURN? NO STORY TOO BIG OR SMALL THE OSN WILL INVESTIGATE! Please email news tips to Hildelysiak@gmail.com
EXCLUSIVE: DH&L FIREFIGHTERS SUSPENSIONS VOTED DOWN! CORRUPTION ALLEGED!
2/14/2017
By Hilde Kate Lysiak
The suspensions of four local fire fighters accused of faking meeting minutes and making unauthorized purchases was voted down at a private meeting last night despite evidence of serious violations, sources have exclusively told the Orange Street News.
Members of Dauntless Hook and Ladder Fire Company were alleged to have been using the fire companies accounts —including the fuel account — for the local race track.
The fire company has accounts at local businesses include Coles Hardware, Napa, along with a WalMart credit card. It has been alleged that some of the firefighters have used this account to purchase items for the Selinsgrove Speedway.
“Members found invoices that were marked as purchases for the race track,” the source tells the OSN.
Members have also been accused of buying discounted fuel for the Selinsgrove Speedway. That meant the fuel was bought without paying all the taxes even though the race track is supposed to pay taxes. The fuel is pumped at the Borough shed at their private fuel station.
One fire fighter “was observed putting fuel into gas cans and five gallon buckets, and even told the members that saw him, that he was taking it to the race track,” according to sources.
However, despite all the evidence the suspensions were voted down because the four who are alleged to have committed violations are high up in the department and brought members in who haven’t been active or attended meetings in months to be part of the vote, according to sources.
“The case that the fire company presented, no matter how compelling, was going to get voted down,” added the source. “They only came to crush the investigation.”
The Fire Company’s account is set up to automatically be a tax exempt account because it’s a non profit organization. The race track is not tax exempt. But the OSN has discovered that several members of the Fire Company have money ties to the Selinsgrove Speedway.
The Fire Company refused to allow OSN to attend the meeting — claiming it was “not public.”
The DH&L Fire Company is a 100% Volunteer Fire Company and has a great reputation in the community. Sources told the OSN that the problems are the result of “a few bad apples.”
After the OSN broke the story, DH&L Fire Company Chief Brandon Ulrich told the OSN that the information should have never gone public. “This is a internal investigation that should never have been leaked out and will be handled accordingly.”
The OSN has reached out to Chief Ulrich and will print his response to the most recent allegations ASAP.
When contacted, the Penn Township Supervisors claimed they couldn’t give the OSN any information.
Borough Manager Paul Williams, when asked about the suspensions, told the Orange Street News last week that he wasn’t going to comment.
“It’s a personnel matter,” Williams told the OSN.
Have any tips? Please contact the OSN at hildelysiak@gmail.com
EXCLUSIVE TO THE ORANGE STREET NEWS!! MUST CREDIT THE ORANGE STREET NEWS!!!
Orange Street News 
So, not only embezzlement is alleged, but also misuse of public funds. I hope the accusations are false.
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Wow and all I thought was they did was purchased a fire dept. vehicle with relief funds which are state or federal monies and forged minutes to look like it was ok’d at a meeting. wow
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Keep us informed. As a resident I am concerned.
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I think the sunshine act should allow you to go to a meeting like that correct? I think that was illegal too
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You will get a false account of the situation from Chief Ulrich, he was one of the people to be suspended along with the rest of the chief staff.
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Unbelievable!!! All the evidence, facts, and witnesses, even an open admission in a meeting that minutes were falsified and meetings never happened and they walk away. Funny how they walk right back into their positions as, President of the fire company, and 2 of the 3 Chief positions. Seems like a monopoly of power by the corrupt.
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There was one Chief that was not suspended, and not involved. The investigation clearly showed that.
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That’s correct, J Kaufman the newly elected Deputy chief was not involved.
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I don’t understand why other news sources have not reported on this yet. Seems very newsworthy and truthful. Maybe Hilde needs to get the word out even more. One big article of your own after school so more people read it on Facebook and all the other news sources wake up. Keep it up young lady. This story is sad and should not be left go
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And I thought corruption was only on our side of the river. We have something every day in the City of Sunbury or Northumberland County.
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I hope you get to the bottom of this story Hilde. It’s a shame to do such illegal things and then to deceive your way out is worse.. maybe you should contact other media too. Great work!
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Keep digging. Lock those scumbags up.
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Funny the bad apples running calls and laughing because they got away with these crimes. No one but Hilde seems to give a crap I guess. Hope the 6 remaining members running are happy for their cheating lying ways
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You firefighters need to leave the race track out of this. The township makes good money off the tax from the race track. Take the race track away and they get nothing at the township. This is a witch hunt. So what if the race track gets stuff tax exempt at Coles or where ever why does that matter!! Leave the track alone. If you want to fight fires go do that and leave the race track out of this. People like the races.
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The race track is tied to the fire company, and it is illegal for a non-profit to purchase tax-free goods and services for a for-profit business. It has nothing to do with what people do or don’t like, it is a matter of what is legal. If nothing illegal was done, the matter will be cleared.
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Make it an industrial park, or housing development and see what for taxes it generates……..???
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Someone is pretty darn stupid to think the race track needs to be left out of this issue. They are not only getting tax free items through these people in the fire company, but they are also getting reduced priced fuel through the fire company/borough. How deep is this corruption and how many people will finally fall when it all comes out. Not even daddy will be able to fix it this time.
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Doesn’t the fire company keep fire equipment at the race track? Would the fuel going to the track be for those pieces of firefighting equipment?
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Well honestly it looks like no one cares about this issue.. nothing more from OSN.. no other news seem to care. Looks like the powers that be at fire Co. are laughing and they have won. It’s a shame that no one cares. Looks like race track and cheating and treating others like crap are the favorite thing. I wish Hilde or some one would get this all out and take care of the trouble. Lost some good firefighters due to cheating. This goes beyond race track. What about vehicle bought and paid by relief fund and OKd at a meeting that was forged and motion made by a guy who wasn’t at any meeting. Cheaters never win. Well hopefully
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I am continuing to work very hard on finding out the truth. If anyone has any tips please email me at hildelysiak@gmail.com. I will keep anonymous.
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So the fire department uses vehicles at the speedway for fire protection and rescue purposes, was the fuel used in those vehicles or vehicles owned by someone else?
The Speedway and fairgrounds are a corporation that the D.H.&L. owns 90% of the stock, this should have been reported. Not saying it makes anything okay, but calling people scumbags really? Keep at it until you find the whole Truth and be suspect of who you talk to.
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I think the state should investigate to see if their tax exemption status should be revoked for using fuel for commercial purposes and removing their tax exemption, if the charges are found to be true.
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Maybe the 6 or 7 financial backers for the Speedway need to know what’s going on. It would be ashame to see those people’s businesses and reputations ruined because of a few low life’s that are involved in the fire company that do not even assist in protecting the Boro and township which everyone knows that’s what a fire company is supposed to do.
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