By Bob Stiles
The Tribune-Review
SOUTH GREENSBURG, Pa. — South Greensburg police are investigating the improper use of a card used to fuel the community’s fire department vehicles, borough officials said this week.
The card, which has been destroyed, apparently was used to make personal purchases of gasoline at Coen Oil on South Main Street, where the borough has an account for departmental vehicles, council President Don Miller said.
Fuel valued at about $500 was put on the card — an old one that borough officials believed had been turned in and destroyed, said borough Secretary Lee Kunkle. The improper purchases involved unleaded fuel; the borough firetrucks use diesel, officials said.
Kunkle didn’t catch the misuse until he reviewed a bill from Coen about six weeks after the purchases were made in the summer.
Coen has credited the borough for half of the loss, Kunkle said, meaning the borough loss is about $250.
He became aware of the irregular purchases a few weeks ago, as did other council members, Miller said. Borough police were asked to investigate.
Attempts to speak with borough police Chief Scott Fanchalsky were unsuccessful.
“I wish I did (know),” fire Chief Eric Hardy said of the culprit’s identity. “We were not aware when we got the new fuel cards that not all of the older cards were turned off. We don’t know if it was a firefighter or somebody else.”
The fire department has four cards — one for each of three fire trucks and the fourth for the chief’s vehicle.
Either Hardy or the first assistant chief now keeps the cards. For a fill-up, a firefighter must go to one of them for the card so that he or the assistant chief knows who last used it, Hardy said.
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