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Burglars targeting cars at fire stations
Both the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office are investigating reports of car burglaries at fire stations in Orange County and Seminole County. Three stations in Seminole County were hit, and three stations in Orange County were hit, officials said.
In the past few days, at least six fire stations in Central Florida were targeted by suspected burglars, where personal vehicles were broken into and items inside stolen, officials confirmed. In one case, a vehicle was stolen.
Josh Baker, a firefighter in Seminole County, said his truck was parked outside the fire station while he was working a 24-hour shift recently. When he came back, someone had smashed his window and taken his gun and other items.
"It’s definitely a gut punch to show up to work," he said. Citing county policy, he's not able to bring his gun inside the station, he said.
"You go to work thinking you’re safe, and your vehicle's safe," said Baker. "We are stuck there. We're there for 24 hours. I don’t have a choice of where I can park my vehicle or much other I can do to secure it. It was locked."
Three Seminole County stations and an Orange County station were hit on Monday morning, and two other Orange County stations were hit in the past few days. At the Orange County stations, investigators said a truck was stolen, and four other vehicles were broken into. Some had wallets and ammunition in them.
"Orange County Fire Rescue is aware of the recent burglaries to personal vehicles that have occurred at our fire stations. Our department is working closely with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office as they continue their investigation," a spokesperson for Orange County Fire Rescue said in a statement.
"We are proactively working with the Seminole County Facilities Division to implement increased security measures in all of our Seminole County Fire Department station parking lots," said Seminole County Fire Chief Matt Kinley in a statement, "which may include enhanced lighting, security cameras, and signage."
"If they’re going to do it to us, where they know somebody’s there 24/7, I mean it’s not really going to stop anybody from doing this to a local community," Baker said.
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Thieves target vehicles at fire stations
In the past few days, at least six fire stations in Central Florida were targeted by suspected burglars. While the counties are working to investigate or implement new security systems, one company offers one solution to keeping valuables safe.
While the county said it's working to get more lights, cameras, and patrols, there are other solutions to keeping valuables safe.
"Our product is for when you can’t carry," said Scott Bonvissuto, the president of Console Vault. "You went to a school, you went to a government building, now what do you do? People put it underneath their seat, glove box unlocked. That’s a problem."
The Ohio-based company makes steel safes you can install in a car. First responders could be targeted because of their long shifts, but many thieves could be looking for weapons.
"We’re going to have to look at something, if people are having issues carrying things that are for their protection, that we can try to figure out another way secure them, but also they can still be within their rights and feel safe," said Jon Divita, the president of the Seminole County Firefighters union.
Divita said a lot of firefighters leave things in their cars since they might not have a lot of space to lock things up inside.
Seminole County confirmed that Stations 13, 14, and 16 were all targeted on Sunday. Orange County said Stations 27, 55, and 81 were targeted between May 18 and May 22.