Print
Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 15 October 2013 15 October 2013

The Pinos Altos Volunteer Fire and Rescue Station on Cottage San Road was burglarized in the past few days. It was discovered Monday afternoon.

According to Battalion Chief Ernest "Ernie" Booth, when he visited the station in the afternoon on Monday, he saw the case for a chainsaw outside, and said he thought someone had just forgotten to put it back inside.

Photos below article by Mary Alice Murphy

"That was not the case," he said. "When we entered the station, we saw the all the doors to the equipment bays on the trucks and pumpers open."

Almost everything of any value was taken, including specialized items such as bunker gear, self-contained breathing apparatuses, an automated external defibrillator, extrication equipment, a Pulaski axe and a specialized chainsaw used to cut through steel in a burning building.

"Whoever took all this equipment is not trained to use it," Booth said. "We will inventory everything to determine the value, but it is in the high thousands of dollars."

Other items stolen include generators and emergency medical service supplies, used to stabilize people for transport to hospitals.

"They didn't destroy anything, just burglarized everything," Booth said. "There was no vandalism, but they rifled through our packets. However, they left our credit cards."

Booth said a $1,000 award would be offered, likely through Crimestoppers, for any information on the burglary.

The sight Cottage San PAVFR volunteers saw when they entered their truck bay Monday afternoon—empty storage lockers on trucks.

Where EMS supplies once were stored.

more empty storage areas.

empty storage lockers