By Sue Weibezahl
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York) 
Copyright 2006 Post-Standard
All Rights Reserved.

Dude, where's my firetruck?

Someone stole a Syracuse fire rescue truck early Monday while firefighters were out on a call, said police spokesman Sgt. Tom Connellan.

Firefighters had been sent to the 100 block of Bennington Drive to help a resident there at 1:20 a.m.

It's standard procedure to leave the motor running while firefighters are on calls, fire Chief John Cowin said.

The windows in the building were open, and moments later, Capt. Bob Fleming and Firefighter Derek Ivey heard the truck's gears shift and ran outside to see it heading down the street.

Police found it about a half-hour later, unoccupied and with nothing missing. It was on Slayton Avenue, which is about three blocks from where it was stolen. The keys had been left on a sidewalk nearby, Cowin said.

The mini-rescue truck is red with emergency lights and the fire department logo on all sides.

"It would be kind of hard to mistake it for anything else but a firetruck," Cowin said.

The engines on the trucks are left running because they are diesel-fueled and can be hard to restart in the winter, Cowin said.

"We'll learn from this and make some changes," he said. "But I still can't believe someone did this. People usually leave us alone because we're there to help."

Anyone with information about the incident can call city police at 442-5222.