Update, June 24: The Rosalia Fire chief tells Pullman Radio News the district has since hired a full-time employee to better track inventory and address any other audit issues.
The State Auditor’s Office this week released a fraud finding against Whitman County Fire District No. 7 over $16,600 in misappropriated fire equipment linked to a volunteer firefighter in 2018.
Whitman County Fire District No. 7 covers rural areas near Rosalia. The audit report, released Tuesday, calls for the district to tighten internal safeguards to more closely monitor inventory and establish clear policies on tracking public assets. Read the full report here.
The report notes the fire district also failed to immediately report the losses to the state auditor as required.
Authorities arrested the volunteer firefighter suspected in the thefts in March of 2018. They arrested him again a couple weeks later for allegedly stealing an ambulance.
The audit report lists a thermal imaging camera, chainsaws, a generator, an iPad, a Firehawk breathing apparatus and other items discovered missing in a previous Whitman County Sheriff’s Office investigation. The total loss was estimated at $16,617.
“[The] Sheriff’s Office interviewed the volunteer firefighter, who acknowledged taking the iPad and two Stihl chainsaws but denied taking the other items,” the audit stated.
The audit report states the firefighter was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution. The district’s insurance paid for the other $13,600 in losses. Auditors recommended the district pursue additional payments from the former firefighter to pay for investigation costs.
The district did not provide any written response to the auditor’s findings or recommendations.
Whitman County court records also show the former firefighter was placed in a drug court program for treatment following both arrests.
The state auditor’s office has published reports for other Whitman County fire districts in recent weeks:
Whitman County Fire District No. 4, serving areas surrounding Palouse, received an audit finding for inadequate financial controls after failing to submit annual reports for 2016 and 2017. It submitted its 2018 report late. Read the full report here.
“Delays in the availability of complete financial reports prevent District officials, the public, and other interested parties from obtaining timely information,” the finding states. “Such delays also hinder transparency to citizens and the efforts of the State Auditor’s Office to compile statistical and financial information.”
Representatives for the district responded that they will more closely monitor their state audit practices in an effort to comply with all financial and accountability requirements.
“Commissioners have communicated with staff the importance of correct reporting of financial transactions and are working towards procedures to ensure that adequate digital and paper records are available,” the response states. “Upon learning that the District’s annual reports for 2016-2017 were not ‘officially submitted’ have now taken the necessary steps to rectify that situation.”
Whitman County Fire District No. 2, serving areas surrounding St. John, received a clean, unmodified 2018-2019 audit report. Read that full report here.
Whitman County Fire District No. 3, serving the Garfield area, in April received a clean 2017-2018 assessment audit. Read the full report here.
Whitman County Fire District No. 5, serving the Lamont area, in May received a clean 2018-2019 assessment audit. Read the full report here.
Also, Whitman County Cemetery District No. 7 recently received an audit finding for inadequate financial reporting after failing to submit its 2018 annual report on time. Read that report here.
Search for other recent public agency audit reports here.