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
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Auditor General: Laws Broken at DH & L!
April 11, 2017
By Hilde Kate Lysiak
The Auditor General has found that several laws were broken by the Dauntless Hook and Ladder Fire Company, the Orange Street News has exclusively learned.
The report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale found that the fire company “did not comply with state laws, contracts, bylaws, and the receipt of state aid and the relief association funds,” from January 1, 2013- until December 31st 2016.
According to the report, the rule breaking include:
– Inadequate Relief Association Bylaws
– Failure To Adhere To Relief Association Bylaws
– Inadequate Minutes Of Meetings And Approvals Of Financial- Related Business Of The Relief Association
– Insufficient Surety (Fidelity) Bond Coverage
– Failure To Disclose Related Party Transaction
Read the full report here.
Sources also told the OSN That Penn Township was withholding $80,000 in donated funds until they see a full financial report. Calls to contact Penn Township week not returned at the time of publication.
The OSN has reached out to Selinsgrove Borough Manager Paul Williams to ask if Selinsgrove will also withhold funds. He was not immediately available for comment.
However, sources told the OSN that the firefighters involved in the rule breaking “didn’t even get a slap on the wrist.”
The OSN has been exclusively reporting on the rule breaking for several weeks now, much of which was revealed at a private meeting in February.
“Members found invoices that were marked as purchases for the race track,” the source tells the OSN.
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.
The Fire Company refused to allow OSN to attend the meeting — claiming it was “not public.”
The Fire Company’s account is set up to automatically be a tax exempt account because it’s a non profit organization (Scroll down to see form). 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 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.”
Chief Ulrich told the OSN he will be releasing a statement shortly. The OSN will publish that statement in full.
Have any tips? Please contact the OSN at hildelysiak@gmail.com
EXCLUSIVE MUST CREDIT THE ORANGE STREET NEWS
Orange Street News 
Terrific investigative reporting. Please follow up as the story unfolds.
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Rumor has it that Fred Ulrich, former Penn Township Supervisor and father of Fire Chief Brandon Ulrich (one of the defendants), is now one of the directors. The race track folks and Fred Ulrich got rid of the board of directors that were tasked with investigating the misdeeds. After that a vote was taken in which they voted to not punish Chief Don Weirick, former assistant chief Drew Heintzleman, Fire company president Dwayne Betzer, Current Fire Chief Brandon Ulrich, and Chief Engineer of DH&L Gary Griner. Yesterday the ladder truck rolled out to a call only with Driver Gary Griner, the Rescue truck with only Don Wierick, and the tanker with 2 people. Very sad, but how could anyone trust those people with your lives. $7000 in tax free purchases for the Selinsgrove Speedway, and they had no intention of paying it until it broke on the OSN. Sad times.
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too bad for DHL but the public has a right to know
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Daddy got them out of trouble again they should be proud! The community should seriously be worried about this because it is putting everyone in danger with no fire company response!
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Obviously the folks posting stuff don’t understand that the Speedway is important to the community. Without it Penn Township will lose out on taxes and fans will lose out on racing. So what if the Auditor General came back with findings. Who cares. The race track upgrades are great and its about time the fire company put in some upgrades to the Speedway.
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Every taxpayer that doesn’t frequent the speedway cares! That’s money out of our pockets that is being mishandled. Nothing against the speedway, but just because the result benefits 15% of the locals, doesn’t make it excusable. WE CARE. These are VERY serious accusations here. Not just someone misplacing $5.
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Relief money that is being reported as mishandled is not money out of your pockets. It is not tax payer money. And it may come to a point where NOW the residents of the borough WILL have to pay for fire service….what do you think about that???????
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I agree 100%
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Amy so you’re saying since it’s not taxpayers money it was ok to forge meeting minutes and put people’s names in those minutes without there knowing and spend the money sny way they want because hey its not taxpayer money? Amy Amy Amy..
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The ones complaining about the fire company breaking laws are the sames ones wearing the gear that money went towards. And are the same ones who don’t show up to all meetings to have them. And only come around when they want and cause problems. I pass a few of the younger ones putting the station down . But they are the ones in nice gear. Yes breaking the laws is not acceptable but the money was not used to buy a new vehicle for any of them or stuff you see on tv. It was used for stuff at the station. We need to come together as a community and support the ones that come to the accidents fires and safety of us instead of destroying them. GET A GRIP!
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You tell them Don!
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Oh my goodness. So it’s okay for these folks to break the law and your best response is tough since people have gear. Is it a race track or a fire house or a place to be a chief for power? As a borough resident I hope they pull all your funding and give it to Freeburg, Kreamer or Hummels Wharf.
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I hope you realize what you are saying. So if this company goes under, and your house catches on fire, and it now takes 10 minutes instead of 3 for fire trucks to reach your house…how much of your house do you think will be left for the guys to put out?????
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Well Amy if my local company is going to calls with 2 people and it’s taking them forever to get out anyhow I’ll take my chances. Hummels Wharf gets to calls in Selinsgrove before Selinsgrove does now
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Well Amy if my local company is going to calls with 2 people and it’s taking them forever to get out anyhow I’ll take my chances. Hummels Wharf gets to calls in Selinsgrove before Selinsgrove does now
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I was down the post office today and heard a rumor that the chiefs were making mileage checks from the taxpayers upwards of 300 to 500 per month. Any truth to that rumor. At that rate it’s like 3.00 a mile.
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the comments should be posted on Facebook or Hilde should copy and paste them there so more people can see the Mr. Ulrichs father has bailed him out on what seems to be an obvious conflict of interest. You just keep digging a bigger hole for yoursleves Ulrich, Weirick and gang and guess what..Its not going away!
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I agree Hilde. Post the comments to Facebook. Do not let these people go unpunished!
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Will never know. Daddy got a possy together for meeting, made a motion to get rid of the directors who were trying to uncover all of that stuff, and now Daddy is chairing the board of directors at the fire house along with the members of the fair board who govern the race track. Funny how it all works out.
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Anyone have the mailing address for Hummels Wharf Fire Co? I was holding off sending in my fund drive money till I heard how this investigation was handled, and have decided to send it to Hummels Wharf.
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Sounds like it’s time for Penn Twp to get their own fire company started. Then they wouldn’t have to deal with all the corruption from the people with their hands in the pocket books at the racetrack. Funny how DH&L has to support the racetrack. Isn’t it suppose to be the other way around?
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FYI…this fire company has equipment at the racetrack, and has in the past provided men and women to serve as firefighters at every race just in case there would be an incident. Maybe you didn’t know that. So the “gas cans” that were filled….could they have been filled for the equipment that is located at the race track??? Could this “money” been spent for upgrades to the equipment and all it’s tools that they might have to use while at the racetrack???? I haven’t heard the side of the firefighters in this story. Maybe we should all take a step back and hear their side before condemning volunteers who save lives, save your homes and do it all on their own time without any pay.
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Filling gas cans for fire protectction at the speedway in November funny the races didn’t run in November but the big resurfacing of the track did interesting
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I read your comment about not having races at the track in November…..yet it was extremely dry and if they were doing resurfacing then maybe the gas was used for the water tanker so keep the dust down?
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Doesn’t Susquehanna University have a code of ethics for its employees? I find it hard to believe that Don Weirick, who is 2nd in charge of Public Safety has a job or is not at least suspended. How could it not be justified with him being tied to Misappropriation of Funds in excess of $173,000, falsification of minutes of meetings, and now the excess mileage payments that the fire company was paying to the Chiefs up until this past January.
You should have just walked away boys when you had the chance.
GLOVES ARE OFF NOW. LETS SEE WHO IS REALLY TELLING THE TRUTH AND WHO IS STANDING IN THE END.
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I the the code of eithics would also apply to Chief Brandon Ulrich. He is a County employee for Northumberland County as a 911 Dispatcher. I’m sure they are not aware of how extensive this really is. And this was only the Releif Association Audit. Wait till the General fund account is audited. These boys will be in jail till it’s all over.
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Amy does have a point guys. You all need to work together put the bullshit to the side and protect the community. This arguing is not going to help protect someone’s property. You app are gonna make it so if you need the dept. It will cost and if your in an accident lost your home ect. Don’t think paying them is to the benefit.
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Would you want to work with people that have lied to you for years?Made false minutes for meetings that never happened? Used an account to spend money as they saw fit, circumventing procedures such as bids for purchases, voting by members to approve those purchases? Is this someone you want to work with?
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They purchased the gas in question in November. What races were going on then? Hmmm, next?
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The public should know that all these people who stack the meeting to vote and protect these guys have deep connections to the race track. The public needs to see this vicious circle that the connection between the racetrack and the fire company is the root of this corruption.
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So who owns the fair grounds?
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The fire company owns approx 80% of the shares. They should be made to sell the shares to help eliminate the corruption.
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In regards to the Releif money not coming out of taxpayer money, you are right. But what the public needs to know is that it comes from the insurance companies. The insurance companies pay part of your home owners premium to the State. They then hand it out to the municipalities to help with fire protection. This money has strict guidelines on how it can be spent. So, it does come out of everyone’s pockets. Just not thru taxes. And these people in the fire company used $173,000 to do what they wanted for years.
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So what was the money spent for that didn’t directly benefit the fire company, the gear they wear, tools they use or the trucks they purchased?
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You obviously must be a racetrack groupie. How many of one tools that were purchased were at the racetrack and not on the trucks for calls? A lot of tools showed up before the Auditor General came to check things out. Funny how the rats scurried that week to put all the cheese back before the cat came. But that’s ok. Never mind rules and regulations. You are pathetic to defend these guys.
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I am not a race track groupie, have never been to a single race. And from your comment, I am getting the sense that you now have a personal vendetta against me also.
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My “vendetta”, just like all the other honest active members of the fire company, is for justice. You obviously don’t have all the information as to what has happened. Nor do you understand how these people have treated the general membership for years. They are criminals and cannot be trusted ever again.
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Criminals????? If someone had taken this money and put in their pocket instead of putting it back into the fire company with tools, gear, ect then I could see that criminal action happened. But haven’t read any where that that happened. It seems like rules were broken yes, but criminal action….those are harsh words. And it sounds like you might have had a problem with people in charge? Maybe telling you how to do certain things? Yes that happens, but that is not mistreatment. You have to have people in charge on an incident so that everyone knows their job, does their job and keep others safe. That is how the world works. It is very sorry to hear that there is a vendetta against this fire company because the people you are hurting the most are the residents of the borough that this company protects. That is who you have hurt.
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If anyone wants to make a donation to a fire company, send it to Penn Two, and tell your Supervisors you want your own fire company. A fire company that won’t have corrupt ties to the racetrack. A fire company that would work together and respond quickly with manpower. It would also give the Penn Two residents a better rate on their homeowners due to having a company closer.
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It has become clear to me, since I have been personally attacked on this forum, that this whole story stems from a personal vendetta against the DH&L fire company and its members. We need to be aware of this situation, yet we also need to support the men and women that serve as volunteer firefighters. They leave their homes, their families, their jobs to save lives, to save your homes. We have had the benefit as borough residents that we don’t have to pay for fire service….lets keep it that way.
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Amy why look the other way? You don’t wanna see corruption? You keep saying about firefighters but right now they are down to very few. They are doing illegal things. You ever been in a fire? Would you trust someone who obviously is not very trustworthy with your life?
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I would trust a firefighter who has given of their time to train, learn how to fight fires, learn how to handle a hose, learn how to use the right tools to save my life. These men and women are volunteers, they are not paid firefighters. They care enough to give of their time without any reward to save people; to leave their bed in the middle of the night, in below freezing temperatures, in rain, in heat in every kind of element possible to help people….that takes a special person. From all of the stories I have ever read, firefighters don’t become firefighters for the glory, they do this because they want to help others.
And what corruption????? What has been corrupted????? Not once has Hilde reported on corruption…only you keep saying this.
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Who pays the 80,000 to Selinsgrove that they give to the fire dept?
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Approx $50,000 is taxpayer money. The rest would be Firemans Releif money.
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Why is all of this coming out now if it has been going on for years? As a tax paying in the borough I feel this is completely ridiculous. If all these life members are coming back and now want to be involved why are the fire trucks still taking 10 plus minutes to respond and only going with 1 or 2? I can remember a few years back when I called 911 and DH&L responded there was a truck there in under 5 minutes and it was what looked to be all college kids. Where are the colleg kids now and if the so called Assistant Chief is 2nd in charge at Susquehanna wouldn’t he be trying to get as many young people involved? Seems like the life members don’t like change when change is needed to make the community safer.
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Just read this article. My question is this. If the Auditor General has found wrong doing, are they still involved? Did anyone let the Auditor General know that these members do not feel that rules and findings apply to DH&L Fire Co?
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don’t sweat it Amy and others. DH&L will be better than ever since we got rid of the misfits to other stations. we have a good base of members and we will move forward stronger than ever. Our Chiefs are second to none and we will be just fine especially without the trouble causers. thank you to everyone for their support of our company
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I have been thinking of this situation all day while at work. Unfortunetly, there are always going to be individuals that seem to do no wrong, and blame others for everything. People who have a real problem taking orders or instructions from those in charge. Yet ,when you join an organization such as a fire house, you ultimately have people in charge. But you also have a responsibility as a member of such organization to make sure that you yourself go to the monthly meetings, and make sure that those who are not attending also get to those meetings. That isn’t just the chiefs responsibility…that is all members job. So I would find it interesting to know just how many of the people doing the blaming missed meetings???? It just really sounds to me like someone didn’t get their way on something and can’t handle that fact, and also didn’t like to be told that they really didn’t know what they were doing. Well, to that person or persons…..grow up. Here’s another thing….respect those who have served longer than yourself….they have more experience and knowledge. Those two things will help you more than you will ever know!!!!
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What about the ambulance???? Dont they feed the fire company. Some involved have been have dipped on both sides. The ambulance brings in big insurance 💰 from patients…..?
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What about the ambulance???? Dont they feed the fire company. Some involved have been have dipped on both sides. The ambulance brings in big insurance 💰 from patients…..?
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Bone Bus…. to answer your question. No, the Ambulance does NOT “feed the fire company”. We do have Members (the Ambulance) that are also members with the Fire Department, but there are very few. Also, I find it imperative to also mention that DH&L Ambulance is a 100% seperate entity from the DH&L Fire Company and like so, is governed by a separate Charter, membership, guidelines, and financial records. Thank you for your concern!
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so is the race track……just saying……..someone better look on both sides of those walls/
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separated by a wall. Separated by a paper…….but yet those same people have had there hands in both pots….You still benefit from the race track. Ambulance there, fees from the races track. Cost of the building…..I wonder who attends the meeting on paper for the ambulance….24/7 operation. IM here, on the inside, watching. I see whats going on.
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Please tell me that Scott isn’t involved. He is a great neighbor and I know he used to run with the fire company and works at the race track. As for the others, I know my taxes always seemed to go up when Ulrich was a Penn Township Supervisor so I wouldn’t doubt this is an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree type of thing.
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They said, “Smile… things could be worse!” So, we Smiled… and sure enough, things got worse! If nothing else, this makes for great entertainment!
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Whatever happened to Dawayne Betzer? Is he still involved with DH&L? The only way outisders will see its corrupt is either investigate it or become a member yourself. But back to Mr. Betzer. He had threatened to assault a previous member and say he would rip the door off the car that member was sitting in to get to him. The member got out of the vehicle to then turn in his gear and keys to quit the department because of the threats. While outside of the vehicle the member was followed and harassed until he left. It was so bad other members witnessing it had 911 ready to dialed.
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Dewayne is a little b@$#&. He is all talk no action…..dhl fire company is going backwards. Maybe at tbe next ambulance meeting we can vote for some equipment for the racetrack
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