Then a pair of gloves and a coat disappeared sometime later, followed by a pair of firefighting pants. By the end of the summer, someone had taken a firefighter's complete turnout gear valued at $2,000 and firefighters realized they were dealing with a thief.

To help prevent further thefts, the Town Council on Thursday approved the expenditure of $834 from the Fire Department's equipment reserve to purchase security cameras.

Firefighter Duke Leighton said Friday the department is always locked so the thefts puzzle members. There is a combination lock on the front of the fire station and the building has a couple of keyed entries in other locations.

Leighton hopes someone will see the items somewhere. "It's not stuff that's around everyone's homes," he said.

While the missing helmet might look like any firefighter helmet, it was a special order and had an emblem on the front that is unique, Leighton said.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Monday, May 19, 2008 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."