New Norfolk volunteer firefighters have had their personal belongings stolen from vehicles while cleaning up after an emergency call-out.
The theft occurred in the back carpark of the New Norfolk Fire Brigade station as crew members were inside packing down equipment following an incident late last night and into this morning.
Derwent Valley Mayor Michelle Dracoulis expressed outrage at the targeting of emergency service volunteers.
“Some lowlife has robbed our firies! Personal possessions were stolen from volunteer firefighter’s vehicles while they were in the station packing down after attending an incident,” Dracoulis said.
“A low and unforgivable act – there are lines that just shouldn’t be crossed. Bloody grub,” she said.
The New Norfolk Fire Brigade, which has 28 volunteer members, attends approximately 300 incidents annually, with each callout taking an average of two hours to complete.
In a post on social media, the brigade said its volunteers make a significant commitment to the community.
“Going off our incident statistics and our member count, it results in 16,800 hours we drop everything to help our community per year,” the brigade said.
“That’s 16,800 hours that some of us don’t attend work, family dinners, friends’ birthdays, kids’ sports etc. We do all this for our community and yet our belongings are not safe.”
They said volunteers commit to weekly two-hour training sessions and additional courses that can span up to four days, with some members completing three courses yearly.
“We do all this for our community and yet our belongings are not safe. It’s very disappointing to have to write this,” they said.
Tasmania Police are investigating the theft, while anyone with information is urged to come forward.
