'It's Hard to Believe': Volunteer Fire Department Has Nearly $10,000 In Gear Stolen

An Okmulgee County fire department is frustrated after someone stole thousands of dollars of their new gear.

They are a volunteer department and now, their firefighters will have to use worn outdated gear.

It's not just about the budget or the safety of firefighters.

The department says taking time to replace the stolen gear is time away from saving lives.

The safety of volunteer firefighters at Nuyaka Fire Department is vital to saving lives and the equipment, branded with the Nuyaka name, does not come cheap.

The Chief says he ordered three full sets of gear, including, jackets, pants, and boots, which it took six months to arrive.

He says that's the gear they need to fight building fires.

“It said was delivered and it was not delivered at the address that it was supposed to be, so we started watching surveillance cameras from our old station, and we saw where it got delivered and it was picked up,” Chief John Viloria said.

Viloria said every year the department is only able to replace two to three sets of gear which totals about $10,000.

By the time the new sets are delivered, it'll be time to start a new order.

“We're going to have to spend this money again just to outfit three firefighters when we could have six outfitted for the same cost right now,” Viloria said.

He said he was disappointed to see someone stealing the department's gear when it could be used by his firefighters to save someone's life.

“It's hard to believe. We work hard out here to protect our community and then we try to help out every community around us. If they call us, we respond,” Viloria said.

Chief Viloria says if anyone has any information about the stolen gear, they should call the Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office at 918-756-4311

The department held a meeting tonight and voted to approve a replacement purchase of the stolen gear.