Thefts suspected from Marinette ambulances

MARINETTE - Who would steal bags that could save someone's life? That's a question emergency medical technicians in Marinette.

Since 1947, volunteers have been behind the flashing lights and sirens of Marinette area ambulances. But about a month ago, the equipment those volunteers need to save lives started disappearing.

“We never had any issues before,” said Greg Loll, the president of Marinette’s Emergency Rescue Squad Inc.

Loll says four bags containing $600 worth of CPR equipment were stolen. He says the bags were taken overnight from ambulances parked in driveways of on-call volunteers.

Loll believes people are taking the bags thinking they are going to score drugs.

“It's costing us money, and not only that, it's hurting the community,” said Loll.

The ambulances sit in the volunteers' driveways unlocked. With the suspected thefts, the rescue group might change protocol. But with seconds counting in an emergency, the EMTs would rather keep the trucks unlocked.

“What happens if we lock the keys in the truck, all the doors are locked, we have to wait for a lock smith and our next crew to be up?” said Loll.

Two of the four missing bags were found empty in waters around Marinette. Some of the equipment was found scattered along the shoreline, however it was too waterlogged to be salvaged.

“We're going to have to do something,” said Sue Ryan, the equipment chairperson for the rescue squad group. “We've got to protect ourselves, we've got to protect the community to make sure we do have the equipment here that we need when we need it.”

Marinette's rescue squad does not charge for its services and relies solely on donations. With the hopes of buying a new ambulance, the crew says it can't afford for another bag to be taken.

Marinette's Emergency Rescue Squad has 50 volunteers. It covers 400 square miles and responds to an average of 125 emergency calls each month.