Rural firefighters are heartbroken after about $30,000 of life-saving equipment was stolen while crews were deployed to a rescue on the NSW Mid North Coast.
Volunteers from the RFS Coolongolook Brigade were helping free a person trapped in a car yesterday afternoon when thieves broke into the truck and station on Midge Street.
They took off with radios, specialist equipment, the internet box, a chainsaw, and items from grants and donations.
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Coolongolook Captain Andy Gilbert said he was "absolutely gutted".
"I've been building the brigade up over the past 10, 12 years, and it's taken a lot to get all the equipment," he said.
Gilbert said the theft has impacted their capabilities on the ground, making it difficult for them to respond to fires and car accidents during the height of the bushfire season.
"That's what these people don't realise when they do these things. It puts the community and the wider community at risk," he said.
"We're operational, but we're limited."
The brigade said the thieves parked down the hill from the station and used a wheelie bin to transport the stolen items to their car.
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Manning Great Lakes Police said it was investigating the robbery believed to have occurred between 4pm on Tuesday and 12pm yesterday.
The public has been urged to keep an eye out for the items, particularly for resale online.
The RFS and MidCoast Council are working through insurance paperwork so that the brigade can recover as much of their losses as possible.
But Gilbert warned it could take weeks to months to get all the equipment back.
Coolongolook has a population of roughly 400 people and is a service town, with just three service stations and a handful of takeaway shops.
The community has rallied around the brigade and offered their support and donations.
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