Former Firefighter steals Firetruck?

[NJFFSA16]

Man accused of stealing fire truck, driving it drunk

HALE, Wis. (AP) - A former firefighter is accused of stealing a
fire truck in Trempealeau (TREMP'-eh-loh) County and driving it
while drunk.
The Hale fire chief called sheriff's deputies yesterday when he
discovered the department's fire truck missing. The chief was told
the truck was spotted in Eau Claire.
Before sheriff's deputies arrived at the Hale fire station, an
18-year-old Elk Creek man returned the truck to the station and
took off in his car.
Deputies found the suspect at his house north of Independence
and arrested him on possible charges of D-W-I, operating a vehicle
without the owner's consent and a probation violation.
The Hale fire chief told investigators the suspect had recently
been released from the department.
The fire truck wasn't damaged.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Homeland Security note:

An 18 yoa drunk was able to steal 100% of a town's fire suppression resources.

Fire station security is our part of infrastructure protection.

[NJFFSA16]

It makes me wonder George. It really makes me wonder.

[ChiefReason]

Takin' 'er for one last spin!
Note to chief: change locks at fire station. Check that; install locks at the fire station.
CR

[DrParasite]

Originally posted by ChiefReason
Note to chief: change locks at fire station. Check that; install locks at the fire station.
CR memo to chief: it is usually a good idea when you release someone from the department to change the locks, so they can not return with malicious intents.

[LFD2203]

Chief should call the FBI and see if they can add some terrorism charges to the fool.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by LFD2203
Chief should call the FBI and see if they can add some terrorism charges to the fool.

Believe me, the FBI has muh more important things to do than to trump up terrorism charges on a drunk 18 yoa idiot who took a fire truck for a joyride. There are no terrorism charges that are appropriate.

Especially when it is half the FD's fault.

[JJBat150]

Before sheriff's deputies arrived at the Hale fire station, an 18-year-old Elk Creek man returned the truck to the station and took off in his car.


and

The fire truck wasn't damaged.

At least he was careful with it :rolleyes:

[PFD109NFD107]

Do you think they did a psych test before they hired this goof??

[Fire40man]

WHERE IS MY FIRETRUCK!!!!!!!

[firenresq77]

Originally posted by Fire40man
WHERE IS MY FIRETRUCK!!!!!!!

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!

[pete892]

I just checked on my personal fire truck (1955 model). It is still in it's station with no windows and the solid door locked. Only myself and my son have a key.

Almost forgot, the batteries are out of the truck and inside for the winter.

On a serious note, fire departments should always change keys or re-program push buttons when there is a change in personnel and stations should always be locked even when on a call. This is not 1950.

Stay safe,

Pete

[Dalmatian90]

On a serious note, fire departments should always change keys or re-program push buttons when there is a change in personnel

While security is important...

Changing locks/combinations isn't always practical.

We're blessed with 70+/- members. People change it seems on an almost monthly basis, at least every few months someone fades away.

Rekeying or re-coding several times a year isn't that practical with that big of a group -- you'd end up with people leaving a note on their dashboard of what the code-of-the-week is.

In 18 years, I've seen three "changing of the locks", all done out of good practice, not necessarily due to concern for anyone individual.

Keycard systems that you can activate/deactivate are a much better idea -- you can deactivate individual cards, you can track whose here when so you can narrow down who to speak to when something "occurs."

On a related note, I was venting at a Fire Officer class this fall that I'd like to put security cameras in the fire house -- only half joking, but some $%^&hole had just taken an entire 24 pack of AA batteries from the frig where we keep them (for our alpha pagers). Just one of the petty thefts/mischief we see (pettiest theft ever: someone used to steal garbage bags, about 6 a week, from the station -- I know, for a month I kept an inventory!). Three other guys in the hallway with me, and both of the volunteers immediately piped up that they already had the security cameras, in fact one chief was just upgrading to his *second* system.

That Chief, btw, also was instrumental in catching a firehouse thief in Eastern CT -- the thief didn't strike his station, but he observed something that seemed odd to him on a call one day that proved to be the break in the case.

I don't prices, but I'm thinking $5-10,000 would buy an pretty good surveillance system...yeah, I know many departments can't afford that...but I'm sure George knows just as many departments as I do that have $10k invested in liquor/big screen TV/fill in your extravagance/etc that sure could find better places for the money.

[DrParasite]

Originally posted by Dalmatian90
[i]Changing locks/combinations isn't always practical.

We're blessed with 70+/- members. People change it seems on an almost monthly basis, at least every few months someone fades away.

Rekeying or re-coding several times a year isn't that practical with that big of a group -- you'd end up with people leaving a note on their dashboard of what the code-of-the-week is.

In 18 years, I've seen three "changing of the locks", all done out of good practice, not necessarily due to concern for anyone individual.so what do you do when you throw someone out? hopefully you aren't dismissing people every week. but lets say I'm on your department, and you throw me out for telling the chief to go to hell on a call (or whatever the charge is). what is to stop me from coming back to your station (when everyone is gone) and stealing all the helmets and selling them on ebay? or draining all the SCBA bottles that you have on the engine? or any other malicious thing to get back at the department that kicked him off?

my dept has over 100 members on the books (squad has close to 120), and we change the combination everytime we dismiss or expel a member (or if someone is asked to resign). thankfully it doesn't happen that often, but the department needs to protect itself.

also, my new dept (i just moved) currently has keycards, but they are changing it over to a 5 button lock because of problems with the door.

[Bones42]

When someone is expelled/thrown out they are required to leave all department items on their way out. This includes keys. Our keys are marked and all of the local key makers know that only a certain few people can have copies of the keys made. Won't stop everyone, but it helps.


Dal, does keeping the batteries in the fridge really help? Honestly curious.

[TFD2069]

Ex-firefighter accused of taking joy ride on fire truck

Town of Hale Fire Chief Scott Rongstad was surprised to hear the department’s pumper truck had been spotted on Golf Road in Eau Claire shortly before 7 a.m. Monday.

He was even more surprised to learn that an 18-year-old ex-firefighter — who’d been dismissed from the rural Osseo fire department on Thursday — had been driving it, apparently while drunk.

“It’s not something you hear about every day,” Rongstad admitted Monday afternoon. “We’re just glad to get the truck back without any damage. I don’t really know why he did it.”

Darrel L. Abramczak of rural Independence was arrested at about 7:52 a.m. Monday at his Elk Creek residence just north of Independence, shortly after he returned the pumper to the Hale garage in the community of Pleasantville.

“I got a call from another fire department member who said they got a call from someone who saw the truck in Eau Claire,” said Rongstad, who is also the town maintenance foreman. “When I looked, sure enough, the truck was gone.”

Rongstad notified Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department officials. Shortly before officers arrived at the Fire Department, Abramczak returned with the truck and drove away in his car. Police went to Elk Creek, found Abramczak and arrested him.

“He never really said why he did it,” said Rongstad, who said Abramczak was released from the volunteer department “for a number of incidents” over the year he’d been with the department.

Rongstad said he was not aware of Abramczak ever driving the truck before, but he knew he had a key for the department garage.

Rongstad estimated Abramczak traveled about 65 to 70 miles with the four-year-old, $120,000 truck and used about 13 gallons of gas.

Abramczak was arrested on possible charges of operating a vehicle without consent, drunken driving and violating his probation. Police reports indicated Abramczak failed a field sobriety test when he was arrested, but no formal charges have been filed.

Abramczak was placed on one year of probation in April for a conviction of misdemeanor theft one year ago today.

[Dalmatian90]

Honestly, I don't know!

One of our officers when he had the Small Equipment portfolio started doing it about 10 years ago, now everyone knows to go and look in the fridge. Keep penlights in there too. Knowing the fire service, a hundred years from now people at my station will still store batteries in the fridge and have no clue why they do :D

-------------------

While there is some importance to the keys...let's remember they only keep the honest people out and if you're looking to prevent a large, malicous attack like a major theft/arson/etc someone will pop a pane of window glass in a heart beat.

Locks may deter bored vandals, or moment-of-oppurtonity thiefs. Not gonna do much against someone with a vendetta to carry out unless your station has security doors/bars/etc.

Forgot to include in my last post about the stations with the security camera, in both cases it's as much to protect the members against accusations -- in both cases a lot of non-members have keys, i.e. the Police patrol cars in their town, Fire Equipment companies, Coca-Cola delivery guy, contractors, etc that allow them to let themselves in as needed.

Used to be several of the local State Troopers had keys to our building so they could come in and fill out reports in good light and a decent table on the overnight shift. While the Troopers who normally work our area now have keys to the Town's Resident Troopers Office to use instead, it's still not unusual to see a cruiser saddled up next to our building...with an extension cord from an outside outlet to the cruiser powering their laptop as they do reports while "watching traffic."

Also like Bones, our keys are numbered with a similiar local discouragement to making new ones.

[CaptainMikey]

I once had a dream that time had stopped and I drove the truck all over the city. But it scared the crap out of me when the road disapeared and I was just falling into black nothingness. This was after watching the langoliers movie.