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WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Five members of the Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Department stood in the back of council chambers at Tuesday’s meeting with a message to send.
They were not threatened, scared or under duress.
They were, however, short $150,000 — missing from the township’s Firefighters’ Relief Association as a result of undocumented loans from previous members in power.
In January, former chief John P. Yuknavich pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing more than $45,000 from the department. As part of his plea arrangement, he agreed to resign as fire chief and make restitution.
He was sentenced to six months in prison and six months home confinement.
The relief association’s president, Larry Ace, said the association was put up against the wall by previous members.
“Until there is $150,000 back in the account of the relief association, the relief association will get no state funding,” Ace said.
“Without state funding, to put it bluntly — we won’t have a fire department,” he added.
Ace said the relief association currently has five years of funding on hold. Once the money is repaid, the aid will be granted.
Wilkes-Barre Township firefighter Molly Hart said Mayor Carl Kuren has been in close contact with the department.
“He has promised so much and has given so much more to support the Wilkes-Barre Township Fire Department,” Hart said.
Kuren recently paid $1,140 for training and $288 for text books for three new recruits, she said.
“These guys want to get back on track,” Kuren said.
Everyone but the persons involved are the ones to blame, he said. Kuren said he promised to help the department the best he can and restore operations to the way they were.
“This is our fire department,” he said. “We’re not going to let it just go down the tubes because an incident happened.”