“A heart-breaking kick in the guts” is the way Country Fire Authority Captain John Parnell described the senseless theft at the Katamatite fire station.
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Mr Parnell walked into his station on New Year's Eve to find the volunteer-run station ransacked overnight.The thieves forced entry into the brigade and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of vital, lifesaving, firefighting equipment.Mr Parnell said his members and the entire Katamatite community were devastated.“It’s absolutely gut-wrenching to come into the station just hours after an extremely busy day to see our tanker, cupboards and tea room raided,” Mr Parnell said.“The worst part about it is, we had to take the station offline for over 7 hours on New Year's Eve because it was a crime scene.“We were unable to respond to any calls,” he said.The station had been tirelessly fundraising money to extend the building, however, the cash will now be used to tighten the facility’s security system.Mr Parnell said he could not fathom how someone could target an emergency service facility at any time of year let alone in the middle of Australia’s bushfire crisis.“Unfortunately, these thieves have no conscience,” Mr Parnell said.“This is our busiest time of year and that equipment is vital for us,” he said.Mr Parnell said his volunteer club would now have to take even more time out of their already busy season to fill in paperwork and insurance claims.The theft comes as two of the station’s volunteers join the heroic firefighting effort in Corryong.The Boosey Creek Café and Tavern was also targeted the same night with another burglary occurring just days later at the Katamatite fuel station.Cobram police are investigating all three incidents but are yet to determine if the break-ins are related.Police are urging the public to report any information regarding incidents to Cobram police on 5871 1977 or by phoning Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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