(a) General rule.--A volunteer firefighters' relief association may solicit and receive gifts and contributions from any source, including municipal corporations, but shall not have the right to receive any portion of the money distributed to political subdivisions of this Commonwealth under 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 political subdivision shall have certified to the commissioner that the association is 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. This section shall include any non-fire-company-affiliated relief association in existence and receiving funds as provided for under this subchapter prior to November 23, 2010.
(b) Deposit.--Funds of a 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) Investments.--All or any part of the funds of a volunteer firefighters' relief association may be invested:
(1) In any form of investment named in 20 Pa.C.S. Ch. 73 (relating to municipalities investments). First mortgages insuring repayment of loans by relief associations shall provide for a minimum interest payment of 3% and not exceed 80% of the appraised value of real property covered by the mortgage.
(2) In any obligation of a political subdivision, having the power to levy or collect taxes.
(3) In any obligation of an incorporated fire company, provided that the obligation is:
(i) Secured by assets of the company having capital value equal to at least 150% of the amount of the obligation at the time it is made.
(ii) Subject to provisions which amortize the loan at a rate ensuring that the depreciated value of the assets pledged shall continue to be at least 150% of the balance due.
(d) Limitation.--No investment shall be acquired, encumbered or sold except pursuant to resolution duly enacted by the governing body of the association.
(e) Income from investments.--Income from investments may be invested or spent in the same way as any other income.
(f) Use.--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 the affairs of the association, including legal fees, rental or purchase of offices, payment of reasonable compensation of employees and purchase of office equipment and supplies.
(2) To purchase contracts of insurance which, at a minimum, shall 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 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 replacement or purchase of prosthetic devices such as visual aids, hearing aids, dentures, braces, crutches and the like, where those devices have been lost or damaged while the owner was engaged in the fire service or where the need for those devices arose because of functional impairment attributable to participation in the fire service;
(iv) for 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 20 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 a participant in that fund upon death. If 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 paragraph (2) in a specific case where:
(i) no policy of insurance is in force covering the risk; or
(ii) the amount payable under insurance policies in force is inadequate to cover the loss.
(5) To pay the cost 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, infirmity or other disability suffered by one of the family members in the course of participation in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter.
(7) To acquire and to maintain membership in any Statewide association or corporation which extends advice and assistance to firefighters' relief associations and to pay to a duly elected delegate the reasonable expenses of travel and maintenance for attending a meeting of the Statewide association or corporation. If two or more fire companies share a firefighters' relief association, each fire company may send a duly elected delegate to represent his individual company and each delegate may have his reasonable expenses of travel and maintenance paid for with relief funds.
(8) To contribute to or to purchase contracts of insurance which will contribute to the cost of rehabilitating and retraining volunteer firefighters who, by reason of their participation in the fire service, have suffered a major impairment of the 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 a fire company to the extent that the 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 to ensure their availability to participate in the volunteer fire service, including necessary training.
(12) To secure insurance against legal liability of volunteer firefighters for loss and expense from claims arising out of performance of official and authorized duties while going to, returning from or attending fires or 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 supplies and instruction and health and fitness evaluation and monitoring, provided that the programs have been approved by the nearest State-licensed health care facility which is authorized to provide that service.
(14) To purchase exercise and fitness equipment for use by volunteer firefighters.
(15) To purchase fire hoses and nozzles.
(16) To purchase fire prevention materials for public distribution.
(17) To pay reasonable expenses actually and necessarily incurred for attending bona fide emergency medical technician or paramedic training schools.
(18) To pay for expenses for cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting of equipment and property, or other expenses incurred to prevent the spread of communicable illnesses.
(19) To provide financial assistance for activities and materials needed to aid in the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.
(20) To establish and pay for length of service award programs.
(21) To pay for facilities for storage of emergency vehicles and equipment, training and meetings.
(22) To pay for vehicles used for emergency response.
(23) To purchase equipment used for emergency response.
(24) To defray the cost of obtaining or renewing a commercial driver's licenses under 75 Pa.C.S. Ch. 16 (relating to commercial drivers) for volunteer firefighters who are residents of this Commonwealth to operate fire or emergency vehicles registered to fire companies or municipalities.
(25) To pay for stipends to volunteer firefighters, not to exceed $1,500 per year.