When a member of Grays Harbor Fire District 1 showed up to work at Station 2, located at 1880 South Bank Road in Oakville, for work just before 6 a.m. on Tuesday, he was greeted to scene of disarray. Equipment had been randomly moved between the three apparatuses, gear was scattered about, knobs and switches were broken, a headset was torn from the wall and left on the ground.
“It was just the weirdest thing,” Deputy Chief Carlton Rhodes told The Chronicle. “It was just bizarre.”
Ultimately, the fire district learned various pieces of valuable portable equipment had been stolen, including defibrillators, a “jaws of life” hydraulic rescue tool, chain saws and radios.
The total value of the stolen equipment is roughly estimated to be between $80,000 and $100,000, according to Rhodes. The most expensive equipment stolen was the jaws of life, which costs $45,000 to $50,000 to replace, said Rhodes.
“You just don’t expect this to happen to a fire department. You’re just hurting the citizens,” he said of the burglary.
Firefighters were able to get two of the station’s three rigs back into operation quickly Tuesday morning, said Rhodes.
The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office was immediately notified of the break-in and is investigating the burglary, according to Rhodes.
“We are really hoping someone around in that area seen something last night and will come forward and let either us or the Grays Harbor Sheriff's Department know so we can solve this burglary,” said the fire district in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Anyone with information that could assist investigators is encouraged to contact the Grays Harbor County Dispatch Center at 360-533-8765.
The Oakville fire station isn’t the only local emergency response station that lost valuable equipment to a burglary this month. The Lewis County Search and Rescue Council, a volunteer nonprofit that aids the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office with search and rescue operations, had its shop broken into around midnight on Sept. 22.
A trailer containing $7,000 worth of equipment, including several radios, a Honda generator, a portable yellow suitcase repeater unit, multiple antennas, a laptop and a printer, was stolen.
“Lewis County Search and Rescue is a volunteer, non-profit organization, which means this equipment is not easily replaced. It has all been purchased by Fundraising or has been Donated to the units and is vital for communications for searches and rescue missions in our county,” the organization stated in a Facebook post on Sept. 22.
Anyone with information on that burglary, or anyone who has seen the stolen trailer or equipment tagged with "Lewis County Search and Rescue (SAR)" or "Lewis County Sheriff's Department,” is encouraged to contact the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office at 360-740-1105 or email gabriel.frase@lewiscountywa.gov.
