Section 6. Funds.--(a) Any volunteer firefighters' relief association shall have the right to solicit and receive gifts and contributions from any source including municipal corporations. It shall not have the right to receive any portion of the moneys distributed to the political subdivisions of the Commonwealth under the provisions of Chapter 7 of the act of December 18, 1984 (P.L.1005, No.205), known as the "Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and Recovery Act," unless and until the governing body of at least one such political subdivision shall have certified to the Auditor General that such association is in fact a bona fide volunteer firefighters' relief association affiliated with a fire company which affords protection against fire to all or a portion of the political subdivision.
(b) The funds of any volunteer firefighters' relief association may be deposited in any bank, trust company, or other banking establishment accredited by the Commonwealth or insured by the Government of the United States.
(c) All, or any part of the funds of any volunteer firefighters' relief association may be invested:
(1) In any form of investment named in the Fiduciaries Act of 1949, as amended, including first mortgages. Such first mortgages insuring repayment of loans by relief associations must provide for a minimum interest payment of three per cent and not exceed eighty per cent of the appraised value of the real property covered by the mortgage.
(2) In any obligation of a political subdivision, having the power to levy or collect taxes, or
(3) In any obligation of an incorporated fire company which obligation is secured by assets of the company having capital value equal to at least one hundred fifty per cent of the amount of the obligation at the time it is made, and is subject to provisions which will amortize such loan at a rate ensuring that the depreciated value of the assets pledged shall continue to be at least equal to one hundred fifty per cent of the balance remaining due.
(d) No investment shall be acquired, encumbered or sold except pursuant to a resolution duly enacted by the governing body of the association. The income from investments however may be invested or spent in the same way as any other income.
(e) The funds of any volunteer firefighters' relief association may be spent:
(1) To pay for such normal and reasonable running expenses as may be appropriate to the businesslike conduct of its affairs including legal fees and including but not by way of limitation the rental or purchase of offices, the payment of reasonable compensation of any needed employes, and the purchase of office equipment and supplies.
(2) To purchase contracts of insurance which shall at the least afford financial assistance to active members of the fire service represented by the association against losses due to injury suffered in the fire service and which may also provide in the order named, (i) for payments to the surviving spouse or other dependents of a member in the event of the member's death, (ii) for protection of active firefighters against disease, (iii) for the replacement or purchase of prosthetic devices such as visual aids, hearing aids, dentures, braces, crutches, and the like, where such devices have been lost or damaged while the owner was engaged in the fire service or where the need for such devices arises because of functional impairment attributable to participation in the fire service, (iv) for the repair or replacement if necessary of articles of clothing or pocket pagers damaged or lost in the course of participation in the fire service, and (v) for disability incurred after service for a minimum of twenty years as a volunteer firefighter.
(3) To maintain a beneficiary or death benefit fund and to pay a sum certain from that fund to the beneficiary of any participant in that fund upon his or her death. In the event a beneficiary is not designated or a designated one has predeceased the participant, the sum certain shall be paid to the estate of the participant.
(4) To pay in full or in part for damage or loss in any of the categories mentioned in clause (2) above in any specific case in which (i) no policy of insurance is in force which covers the risk, or (ii) the amount payable under insurance policies in force is inadequate to cover the loss.
(5) To pay the costs of procuring and forwarding tokens of sympathy and goodwill. To a volunteer firefighter who may be ill or hospitalized as a result of participation in the fire service or who may die or who may be seriously ill for any reason.
(6) To make cash payments to families in distressed circumstances by reason of age, infirmities or other disabilities suffered by one of the family in the course of his or her participation in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter.
(7) To acquire and maintain membership in any Statewide association or corporation which extends advice and assistance to firefighters' relief associations in the conduct of their affairs and to pay reasonable expenses of travel and maintenance to a duly elected delegate for attendance at such meetings of such Statewide association or corporation.
(8) To contribute or to purchase contracts of insurance which will contribute towards the costs of rehabilitating and retraining volunteer firefighters who by reason of their participation in the fire service have suffered a major impairment of their ability to continue their vocation.
(9) To pay for medical and surgical bills arising from injuries sustained by volunteer firefighters while engaged in activities of the fire company to the extent that said bills are not covered by insurance provided by the relief association.
(10) To pay reasonable expenses actually and necessarily incurred for attending bona fide firefighters' training schools.
(11) To purchase safeguards for preserving life, health, and safety of volunteer firefighters, so as to ensure their availability to participate in the volunteer fire service.
(12) To secure insurance against the legal liability of the volunteer firefighters for loss and expense from claims arising out of the performance of their official, authorized duties while going to, returning from or attending fires or while performing their duties as special fire police.
(13) To maintain comprehensive health, physical fitness and physical monitoring programs that provide for physical fitness activities, nutrition education and instruction and health and fitness evaluation and monitoring. The programs shall be approved by the nearest State-licensed health care facility which is authorized to provide the service.
(14) To purchase exercise and fitness equipment for use by volunteer firefighters. Expenditures for exercise and fitness equipment shall not, however, exceed $2,000 in any two-year period.
(15) To purchase fire hose and nozzles.
(16) To purchase fire prevention materials for public distribution.
(6 amended Dec. 22, 1993, P.L.547, No.78)