Empty Detroit Firehouses Targeted by Thieves

March 20--Detroit firefighters discovered Monday that thieves took a TV, a computer, food, tools and soft drinks from the machine at an east-side station, the latest of a series of thefts at city firehouses.

Such thefts are increasing after cuts led to unmanned stations, Detroit Fire Department officials said. The Fire Department's agreement with the Detroit Fire Fighters Association includes a clause to reimburse staff for items they buy, such as TVs, kitchen supplies and personal items.

Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association Local 344, said the reimbursement clause was added to the firefighters' contract in the 1970s.

"Periodically -- nowhere near the frequency of today -- we had things stolen from the firehouses," he said. "Now it's like incredible. If our stations are manned less than 24 hours, people are stealing our stuff."

Ladder 19 at 10700 Shoemaker St., just east of the Gratiot Avenue exit off I-94, was the latest target. Firefighters discovered the break-in at 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Detroit Fire Senior Chief Douglas Lyon said at least 10 firehouses have been hit. Others include Ladder 16 at 6900 Miller St., near I-94 and Van Dyke, and Ladder 30 at 17475 Mt. Elliott, near East Davison and Mound.

Typically, up to 12 stations of the city's 52 firehouses are closed each day, after cuts left the department unable to provide enough manpower to fully staff all stations. About 165 firefighters per shift provide daily coverage, spread out among the open firehouses.

In the firehouses, the department provides a stove, refrigerator, table, chairs, beds and basic cleaning and paper products. Firefighters provide everything else.

"Any one that's empty more than a couple of days, they've been breaking into," Lyon said. "They were taking the boiler, the radiators. They were taking that for scrap. They don't care; they break in the front window where everyone can see it."

Detroit Fire Commissioner Donald Austin said the department has asked Detroit police to do drive-by patrols of the browned-out stations to help deter theft. He said the public can help, too.

"Just keep a lookout on all fire station buildings, whether they're temporarily vacant or permanently vacant, that's what we'd ask the public to do," Austin said. "If you see anything, call 911."

Austin, former chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, said he was shocked when he took the reins in Detroit in 2011 and saw the theft clause in the union contracts, listing dollar amounts for reimbursement for items such as electric razors.

"When I first saw that in the contract, I thought, 'Holy cow, break-ins are that prevalent?' " he said. "And they were, and they continue to be. It just blew me away. Not that we didn't have one or two break-ins in Los Angeles, but not so rampant that it's part of the contract."

Contact Tammy Stables Battaglia: 313-949-7291 or tbattaglia@freepress.com.

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