Pediatric medical equipment stolen from Spokane Valley fire truck

Spokane Valley Fire Department investigators are looking for clues as to who stole a box full of pediatric emergency medical equipment off a fire engine while it was on a call this week.

Firefighters were responding to a cardiac arrest call on East Main Avenue between Felts Road and University Road around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when the bright yellow case was stolen. A storage compartment on the engine had been left open while the crew was inside treating the patient and the box was the only thing inside, said Fire Marshal Greg Rogers.

“They probably thought it was an opportunity, not knowing exactly what was inside,” Rogers said.

One theory is that the thief was hoping to find drugs inside the case, Rogers said, but there weren’t any. “We don’t leave stuff out like that,” he said.

The box contained equipment the firefighters might need when treating a child, including specialized air tubes and masks. There wasn’t anything particularly valuable in the box, Rogers said.

Investigators have been looking at video footage from nearby surveillance cameras in the hopes of identifying the thief, Rogers said. If anyone knows where the box is, it can be returned to any Spokane Valley Fire Department station.

Rogers said it’s not normal for firefighters to have their equipment stolen off a truck.

“In the six years I’ve been here, it’s a first,” he said.