Issued on: Thursday 12 October 2023
At 12:31 a.m. on Thursday 21 September 2023, Ashby de-la-Zouch Fire Station was broken into by thieves. A significant amount of essential lifesaving equipment with an estimated value of £35,000 was stolen from one of its appliances.
The thieves stole specialist cutting equipment, and tools used to deal with road traffic collisions, along with Thermal Imaging Cameras, chargers and batteries.
The stolen equipment is used by firefighters every day when dealing with emergencies such as road traffic collisions in the rapid extrication of people and fires when searching for people who may still be inside the building.
Callum Faint, Chief Fire and Rescue Officer said: “This is not just a loss for our Fire Station but has the potential to cause a threat to public safety. Our primary mission is to ensure ‘Safer People, Safer Places’, thankfully we have managed to get some replacement equipment to ensure we can still serve our communities and respond to emergencies effectively.”
He continued, “The specialised tools and equipment stolen are essential for our firefighters to undertake their lifesaving duties safely and efficiently. We urge anyone with information regarding this theft to come forward and get in touch with Leicestershire Police to help us catch those who have done this.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101, quoting crime number: 23000588533.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
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About the Service
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service provides emergency response, prevention and protection services from 20 stations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Its headquarters is based in Birstall, Leicester.
During 2021/22, we attended a total of 8,259 emergency incidents, including 1,968 fires and 707 road traffic collisions. A total of 12,938 Home Safety Checks were completed and we fitted 3,546 smoke alarms. 233 schools were visited as part of the Service’s schools programme, delivering fire and road safety education to 6,724 pupils.
The Service’s prevention, education, enforcement and inspection programmes have resulted in significant reductions in the number of incidents attended.
Contact:
Corporate Communications
Direct: 0116 210 5755
Corporate.communications@leics-fire.gov.uk
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