Montgomery County firefighters went to band camp in North Carolina on the county’s dole.
At least three firefighters, who are members of the Montgomery County Maryland Firefighters Pipes and Drums band, attended a weeklong course at the North American Academy of Piping and Drumming in Valle Crusis, N.C., county records show.
The course costs $520 a week, which includes room and board. The county has paid least $2,460 to the school, county records show.
Tuition assistance funds are supposed to be used to help county employees improve at their jobs. They also are supposed to cover only tuition, not other items like room and board.
The Montgomery County Maryland Firefighters Pipes and Drums band was formed in 2004 and is made up of current and retired public safety officials, according to its Web site. The band is a private, nonprofit corporation that can be booked for funerals, parades and other events, according to its Web site.
It is scheduled to play at a number of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations next year, including a parade in Savannah, Ga., its Web site says.
Representatives from the band and the county fire department could not be reached for comment.
The band has its own bagpipe instructor, according to its Web site. There are at least four instructors or classes offering bagpipe lessons available in the Washington area, for an average of $35 an hour.
Melanie Ciarrone contributed to this report.
