Firefighters are asking the public to keep an eye out for a first responder medical truck stolen from the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department Hall 3 Friday night (April 8).
Chief Todd Schley said he got a call just before 7 a.m. Saturday that someone had broken into Hall 3 – In Bridge Lake on Highway 24 by Lee Road – and swiped the hall’s new half-ton pickup, which is white with red stripes and emergency lights. It also has the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department decal on the door.
The truck, designed as a first responder medical unit, is equipped with emergency lights, medical supplies and equipment such as a spineboard, “clamshell” and basket stretchers and pylons for traffic control. Schley estimates the truck and equipment are worth between $80,000 and $90,000.
“It hurts,” he said, adding the truck is needed to get into tight spaces to access calls. “It’s left a big impact. We’re going to have to reorganize and use our fire trucks to respond to medical calls. We’re going to be doing a lot of walking.”
The theft comes less than a week after a brand new emergency response truck worth almost $200,000, along with life-saving hydraulic tools used at accident scenes, was stolen April 3 from the Central Cariboo Search and Rescue (CCSAR) hall on Mackenzie Avenue in Williams Lake. Members of the public are also asked to keep an eye out for the distinctive vehicle, with the B.C. license plate of RH7960. It is valued at about $200,000.
Schley said police were heading to the scene Saturday morning. He noted the truck is used frequently for medical calls in the community. “It’s going to make a huge dent to us and to the community,” he said.
Anyone who sees the truck or has information is asked to call the 100 Mile RCMP at 250-395-2456 or BC Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).
More to come.
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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