Trending Topics

Extrication tool stolen from Calif. firefighters at MVC

Oakland firefighters had used the Jaws of Life during a call and then discovered it had been stolen

OaklandFireDepartment.jpg

Oakland firefighters train with new extrication tools in Feb.

Oakland Fire Department/Facebook

By Salvador Hernandez
Los Angeles Times

OAKLAND, Calif. — In the middle of a rescue call last week, someone stole the Jaws of Life from Oakland firefighters, authorities said.

Firefighters had brought out the tool during the call. After they used it, fire officials discovered the equipment had been taken, according to a spokesperson with the Oakland Police Department.

Used by emergency personnel after serious car crashes, the hydraulic tool pries open or cuts through wreckage to rescue someone inside. Jaws of Life tools can be operated by a single individual and generally weigh around 50 pounds.

An Oakland police spokesperson said their tool was taken at about 7:15 p.m. Friday in the 1600 block of West Street.

Police released no information about the suspects.

A spokesperson for the Oakland Fire Department said the agency was working with police to recover the tool.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at (510) 238-3728.

©2024 Los Angeles Times.
Visit latimes.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Bill boosts prison firefighter wages from about $1 to the federal minimum, while the sheriffs’ association objects to costs and notes existing sentence credits
The grant for Flint funds sign-on and retention bonuses, performance incentives, and leadership and training programs to boost morale, readiness and public trust
A proposal would require four-person crews, though the department says coverage is adequate and meeting the standard could mean overtime
Massachusetts chiefs report 18–48-month waits and prices that have doubled since pre-pandemic, forcing stock or used buys and stretching budgets