NEW HARMONY — New Harmony Fire District officials are asking for the public’s help in solving the case of a recent theft of a piece of specialized rescue equipment from one of its fire trucks.
The missing device is a hydraulic extrication tool known as the Jaws of Life, acting Fire Chief Jim Banks told St. George News on Monday.
The equipment is believed to have been stolen from a fire engine parked inside the Kolob District Fire Station at 1388 S. Old Highway 91 sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon, Banks said, adding that workers noticed the front door to the station had been forcibly broken into and the door of one of the fire engine’s storage compartment doors was left open.
“The compartment on one of our engines was open and the equipment was missing,” Banks said.
The thief or thieves didn’t take all of the equipment’s accessories, he added, just the power unit and hoses, plus the spreader and cutter attachments.
As for who might have use for such a device, Banks said that a recent episode of a popular television show might have given ideas to would-be burglars.
“There was an episode of ‘Chicago Fire’ not too long ago where they got their extrication equipment stolen and somebody uses it for breaking into ATMs,” Banks explained. “Apparently, there have been a number of these kinds of thefts across the country.”
Banks said it’s a tool people would steal just for a specific purpose.
“It’s made for heavy-duty rescue applications where something needs to be cut, or spread or bent,” he added. “I can’t think of too many other uses, but I’m sure somebody who’s creative could use it for some other criminal purpose, I guess.”
The missing device, which is approximately 10 years old, is New Harmony Fire District’s primary extrication tool, Banks said.
“We use it fairly often, for getting people out of damaged, crashed vehicles and that kind of thing,” he said. “We do have a backup set, but it’s pretty old. So we’re going to have to replace it.”
Banks said replacing the equipment will cost an estimated $30,000, which he said is a significant amount of money for the small volunteer fire department.
“It’s like a third of our total budget,” he said. “But we don’t have a choice. We’re going to have to replace it one way or another.”
“We do have some insurance for that type of stuff, but I really doubt if it’s going to cover anywhere near the cost of replacement,” he added. “I mean, it just really hits us hard. With the number of accidents we have on the freeway, we use the equipment pretty often.”
The incident is being investigated by Washington County Sheriff’s Office. If anyone has any information about the theft, particularly if they noticed any suspicious vehicles or people, or anything unusual happening in or around the station on Sunday or Monday, they are asked to call the New Harmony Fire District’s non-emergency number at 435-767-1893.
Photo Gallery
New Harmony Fire District's Kolob Fire Station, New Harmony, Utah, April 25, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Jim Banks, St. George News New Harmony fire engine from which hydraulic extrication equipment was reportedly stolen. Kolob Fire Station, New Harmony, Utah, April 25, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Jim Banks, St. George News Side compartment on New Harmony fire engine with its extrication equipment missing. Kolob Fire Station, New Harmony, Utah, April 25, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Jim Banks, St. George News Photo from a catalog showing the model of hydraulic rescue equipment that was reported stolen from New Harmony Fire District's Kolob Fire Station on April 25, 2022 | Image courtesy of New Harmony Fire, St. George News Photo from a catalog showing the hoses for a piece of hydraulic rescue equipment that was reported stolen from New Harmony Fire District's Kolob Fire Station on April 25, 2022 | Image courtesy of New Harmony Fire, St. George News Photo from a catalog showing the "cutter" attachment for a piece of hydraulic rescue equipment that was reported stolen from New Harmony Fire District's Kolob Fire Station on April 25, 2022 | Image courtesy of New Harmony Fire, St. George News Photo from a catalog showing the "spreader" attachment for a piece of hydraulic rescue equipment that was reported stolen from New Harmony Fire District's Kolob Fire Station on April 25, 2022 | Image courtesy of New Harmony Fire, St. George News
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