ABERDEEN, Wash. — A group of thieves broke into a firehouse and stole crucial life-saving equipment from Gray’s Harbor Volunteer Fire Department earlier this week.
KomoNews.com reported that tools, including a chainsaw and K-12, were stolen and the thieves got away with more than $2,00 worth of gear owned by the fire department.
With much of its equipment bought with grant money, the department is unsure how it will pay for replacing the stolen items. Chief Mike Mahnke said he hopes to get temporary equipment by Wednesday, but it could take months to replace all of the stolen items, according to the report.
A firefighter noticed the theft during a routine rig check on Monday, but because the firehouse isn’t staffed 24 hours a day, it’s unclear when the break-in happened, according to the report.
“I was pretty upset,” said Chief Mahnke. “It’s a small community and we haven’t had many problems before, so it was kind of an eye-opener.”
Fire crews are now relying on help from other departments since they no longer have what they need to respond to a fire, according to the report.
“Right now we don’t have any way to ventilate a house if we have a structure fire,” Chief Mahnke said.
One of the stolen chain saws was purchased just last week and the crew didn’t even have a chance to use it during a call, according to the report. They’re also missing a portable radio.
“We have all the fire bands and all police bands on it, so it’s just like a scanner. So chances of them talking on it is none, but they can hear what’s going on,” Mahnke said.
“It would be nice to catch them because it’s a safety issue for us,” Mahnke said. Police have no suspects at this time.