Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor POMONA – An unknown thief or thieves cut through a fence and storage container to steal $55,000 worth of equipment used for training by the Los Angeles County Fire Department almost two weeks ago.
22 chainsaws and six rotary saws purchased by the fire department and eight saws donated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department Foundation were taken, according to Derrick Chapman, Los Angeles County Fire Department battalion chief and director of training. The discovery was made at 10 a.m. June 19. After a chain link fence was cut, a lock hasp holding a storage container shut was destroyed to gain access to the equipment within. Damage caused was estimated at $500 to $1,000, Chapman told SGV CityWatch. Chapman said this burglary was a devastating blow to the training program and while the program will have to make due with what remains, it will be a difficult journey. The East County Training Center, 3325 W. Temple Ave., sits next to the shuttered Lanterman Developmental Center and it was from Lanterman that access was made to the training facility, Chapman told SGV CityWatch. A security camera at a nearby business caught a mysterious box truck on the Lanterman property around 1 a.m. two days prior to the burglary, but it is unknown if there is a connection. Occasionally, thieves will take random pieces of lumber used for live fire training, Chapman told SGV CityWatch. The Glendale Fire Department reached out recently and said one of their facilities was also burglarized in a similar way within the last two weeks, Chapman told SGV CityWatch, but it is not yet clear if both crimes are connected. “We need to come up with a plan,” Chapman said for ways to replace the stolen equipment. One possibility is to use a portion of state funding normally allocated for other needs. Donations can also be made at the fire foundation website. Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call the Pomona Police detective bureau at 909-620-2095. |
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