Elba Volunteer Fire Department

A drive-thru chicken barbecue to benefit the Elba Volunteer Fire Department will be held on Sunday, Oct. 25 at the fire rec hall on Route 98 in Elba.

It starts at 11:30 a.m. and goes until sold out. Cost is $12.

Coronavirus protocols will be observed. Please wear a face mask and remain in your vehicle.

"Because of the (COVID-19) shutdown, last month was the first chicken barbecue we held this year," said an organizer, Barbie Starowitz, of Star Growers Farm LLC. "It sold out so fast! Now that we can be outside again we wanted to do another one. We're hoping for a nice (weather) day."

The address of Elba Firemen's Recreation Hall is 7143 Oak Orchard Road (Route 98).

Elba Volunteer Fire Department has canceled Bingo until further notice.

First responders, including personnel from the Elba Volunteer Fire Department, Mercy EMS, Mercy Flight, and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, conducted a DWI drill Thursday at Elba High School for the benefit of seniors prior to their prom and their first summer after graduation, which is the most deadly 100 days for teens.

An open letter from the Elba Volunteer Fire Department:

On behalf of the Elba Fire Department and Elba Joint Fire District, we would like to thank all the fire departments in Genesee County and all the fire companies that came from other counties to help us with the fire on Thanksgiving Day. We also would like to thank all the businesses, organizations, and community people who brought food and beverages. There were a lot of firefighters, EMS, personnel and fire police as well as the Power Company and fuel company. Because of the great cooperation we got from all of these people, the fire went smoothly. With it being a holiday, we also say thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time with family members and for the understanding family members who supported them. The cooperation and community spirit and support of the people of Elba and surrounding areas was phenomenal. Thank you again. 

The Elba Volunteer Fire Department got two dings in a recent comptroller's audit: The board of directors needs to be sure the treasurer's work is audited, and expenditures need to be properly approved and recorded.

There is no evidence of missing or misappropriated funds, though there are a few expenditures that aren't properly documented.

Although there's no evidence of missing money, the department's lax oversight, auditors said, could cause problems.

"The Board’s inadequate oversight and weak controls increase the risk that Department disbursements may not be for appropriate purposes and that all money due the Department may not be received and deposited," the audit report states.

There is a lack of supporting documents for expenditures, auditors said, for $40,566 in spending. There are no documents to show that the board approved these expenditures.

Receipts from the department's largest fundraiser, the Onion Festival, were not properly recorded in 2013, the report states, affecting the department's ability to properly track revenue.

The festival generated $87,210 in revenue, with $78,886 in expenses, for a profit of $8,324.

While raffle tickets printed and sold are properly tracked, the same can't be said, according to the report, of food and beverage tickets.

The treasurer wrote a check to cash for $7,500 before the last festival, so there would be cash on hand for miscellaneous expenses. While she had receipts for $3,250 of the money spent from that fund, the rest of the expenditures had no supporting documentation.

Some of the cash is recorded in the fund-raising report, but there is no documentation for the balance of $1,365.

"The Board’s failure to properly oversee fund-raising activities substantially increases the risk that fund-raising money could be lost or stolen without detection," the report states.

Robert Ziphel, acting president of the Elba Volunteer Fire Department Board of Directors, responded to the audit and stated, "In response to our audit, we agree with your findings. We have implemented changes in 2014 and will continue to do so in the future as needed."