Section 178-A. Expenses incurred in attending town and county officers training school

The actual and necessary expenses incurred  by  a  fire
  district  officer  or person duly elected as a fire district officer, in
  attending a course of training for his respective office as provided  by
  the  town  and  county officers training school of the state of New York
  for the purpose of improving the administration of municipal affairs  in
  the  town  and counties of the state, shall be a charge against the fire
  district of which he is an officer or officer-elect. No person, however,
  shall be allowed such expenses for attending a  regional  school  unless
  his  district  shall  be  included  within  the  area  of such region as
  established by the board of trustees of the  town  and  county  officers
  training   school   of  the  state  of  New  York.  The  board  of  fire
  commissioners, in lieu of auditing and allowing  the  claim  of  a  fire
  district  officer or officer-elect for actual and necessary expenses for
  travel in attending any  such  course  of  training,  may  determine  by
  resolution  to  allow and pay such officer or officer-elect a reasonable
  mileage allowance for the use  of  his  own  automobile  for  each  mile
  actually  and  necessarily  traveled  by him in attending such course of
  training.