Thieves cause thousands in damage to rural N.S. volunteer fire station

A occurrence main successful Digby County, N.S., says his tiny unpaid section is retired astir $7,000 aft a break-in earlier this month. 

Doug Cromwell said thieves who broke into the Southville Fire Department presumption made disconnected with a firefighter's overgarment and pants, and the hydraulic centrifugal that powers their Jaws of Life, the instrumentality utilized to get radical retired of a conveyance aft a car crash.

Cromwell said without the stolen uniform, the section is down 1 firefighter. That's a big hit to a section of astir 20 members, he said Wednesday.

The occurrence main said helium contacted Digby RCMP on March 14 after receiving a telephone from a coating unit that had arrived successful the greeting to enactment connected the gathering and recovered breached windows successful the station.

He said this isn't the archetypal clip the Southville department has fallen unfortunate to a break-in. In the past, radical person breached into the gathering and stolen gasoline. But helium said the losses person ne'er been this extensive, estimating it volition outgo the section $6,000 to $7,000 to regenerate the stolen instrumentality and breached windows.

"This is astir apt the worst deed we took."

The section serves Southville, Riverdale and Danvers, a trio of agrarian communities southwest of Weymouth, N.S.

Cromwell said they've reached an statement with the Havelock fire department allowing them to get the Jaws of Life if needed. He said the Bear River section is besides offering support. 

But the main said it's disheartening to spot thieves people a agrarian section serving small communities, and helium wondered wherefore idiosyncratic would person stolen the azygous and motor. 

"If they needed help, each they had to bash was travel and ask. We would person tried to assistance [them] successful immoderate way," said Cromwell. 

RCMP judge whoever broke into the occurrence hall fled successful a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle. They're asking that anyone with accusation interaction constabulary astatine 902-245-2579 oregon Crime Stoppers astatine 1-800-222-8477.