Low Life's Torch Ambulance Station

[geckoGT]

I can not believe this, to say I am gobsmacked is an understatement.

Ambulance stolen and station set ablaze
By Kim Lyell

Updated 48 minutes ago

VIDEO: Footage of the ambulance fire in Cleveland (ABC News)
MAP: Cleveland 4163
An ambulance station on Brisbane's bayside and a number of its vehicles have been extensively damaged in two suspected arson attacks overnight.

Emergency crews were called to a traffic accident at Ormiston just before 12.30am (AEST), but found a stolen ambulance on fire.

A short time later they were alerted to another fire at the Cleveland ambulance station.

The building was well alight when crews arrived and specialist teams were called to fight the blaze.

Firefighters are still at the scene dampening down the building.

A spokeswoman from the Department of Emergency Services says the station and a number of ambulances have been extensively damaged, but no-one was injured.

Police believe the ambulance involved in the first incident had been stolen from the Cleveland station before it was set alight.

Treasurer Andrew Fraser says he is disturbed by the incidents.

"They amount to a heinous act of violence and vandalism on public assets," he said.

Police investigating the incident have closed roads at Cleveland and Ormiston.

They are not expected to reopen for several hours.



First posted 1 hour 50 minutes ago

This is also the same incident from the Queensland Police media release

Fire, Cleveland: Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding two suspected related fires in Cleveland and Ormiston early this morning. Around 12.20am, police attended Dundas Street West, Ormiston, over reports of a vehicle on fire. QFRS attended and extinguished the fire, however, the vehicle sustained significant damage. While attending this incident, police and QFRS were also called to a fire at an address on Wellington Street, Cleveland. The fire was extinguished but the building sustained significant damage. It is believed the vehicle may have been stolen from this address. No one was injured during either incident.

I have worked at this station many times and all the crews there are top notch, what they do for our community is first rate.

What sort of moron sets fire to an ambulance station for gods sake.

The loss of vehicles is a huge hit, they are having to bring driver training vehicles back into service (which are old and crusty and need considerable work to get operational) as they have lost a number of brand new vehicles (Mercedes 318 at a cost of about $200k each with full kit). We have also lost millions of dollars of equipment, some of which will take many months to replace.

This loss may mean that planned new stations to increase ambulance coverage in QLD will have to be postponed in order to rebuild this station which was a key station for SE Brisbane.

Of course all efforts will be made to provide coverage as usual for the public but damn it is going to be hard with a loss in assets such as this. Thank god no ambulance staff were injured in the process.

Considering an ambulance was stolen, driven to the next suburb and torched whilst the ambulance station was being torched a short time later shows that this was no coincidence. What sort of creature does this?

The coordination of the attack is evident in the fact that the reason the fire service, which is virtually next door to the ambulance station could not do anything to save the station. This is because they were off fighting the single ambulance vehicle fire while the station burned. This shows me there was coordination and more than one person involved.

I hope they are caught and I hope they burn in the fires of hell, their actions could potentially still cost lives. At the moment SE Brisbane will be short on coverage until asset reallocation can take place.

I am appalled, what is wrong with society?

[gcg2503]

Very very sad state of affairs

[geckoGT]

Absolutely devastating.

I love my job, its not really a job, it is a passion and an identity. As a result, an attack like this on my beloved service feels so personal.

[zdcol71]

What a bizarre story...reeks of revenge or some sort of vendetta.
Wonder if it involves a disaffected member of one or other of the services, or some one who feels aggrieved by same

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by zdcol71

What a bizarre story...reeks of revenge or some sort of vendetta.
Wonder if it involves a disaffected member of one or other of the services, or some one who feels aggrieved by same

Perhaps but that would likely only involve one person, this looks like at least 2 were involved.

I hope we get some answers. Please if anyone hears anything, no matter how insignificant, please inform the police.

What worries me is this the only attack or are we in for more on any of the emergency services?

[Road_Warrior]

WTF

Why torch an Ambulance station???

Seriously this is ridiculous.

[XRSEX]

I drove past it this morning on my way to work.

Saw the gutted ambo vans and some police and whatnot.

In capalaba I heard lots of sirens etc going off at the old cleveland/finucane rd lights last night, now I know why.

[mik]

no shortage of loonies out there sadly, lets hope the persons responsible need an ambo.....................and there is`nt one !

[Grippy]

Disgusting behaviour, couldnt believe this story when I saw it on the news last night. We can only hope these morons get caught quickly

[|||]

i say we set their houses on fire then when the fire truck comes it just drives over their letterbox while blasting "Fire Water Burn" by Bloodhound Gang.

[XRGhia]

Originally Posted by |||

i say we set their houses on fire then when the fire truck comes it just drives over their letterbox while blasting "Fire Water Burn" by Bloodhound Gang.

thats a good way to go about it..... hopefully the lowlifes get arrested, charged and put away for at least 2 years and have to pay out at least 50% of the damage bill.....

[grandpa_spec_F6]

We've been talking about this at work, head office is abuzz with people in disbelief, no one understands why or what on earth would have provoked them to do such a thing.

A friend of ours is building the new ambulances and they can't keep up with the demand. An fully kitted out ambulance will take a few months to complete at minimum, with fully custom interiors, wiring for the lights and various pumps / other electrical equipment required.

Repulsive and vile are the only words I can think of to describe my contempt towards these scum.

[bingoTE50]

Crazy stuff . You cannot fathom the reasoning behind it ,really ,what is wrong with people !!

[Mr Hardware]

Funny story gecko and gramps
I was working last night at about midnight and saw cleveland showing as down on the network. I muttered to myself bloody telstra! Never did I expect this would be the cause...
(just woke up btw, i'll head in to work soon for more goss)

[DJM83]

Scum.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

..
(just woke up btw, i'll head in to work soon for more goss)

Was wondering why you weren't showing online, slack bugger :P

Yeah I'll fill you in when you get here, haven't heard any official word from QAS as of yet, assuming they're ****ed off though.

[Iggypoppin']

I hope the people who did this burn for it. The emergency service crews are among those I hold in absolute highest regard, they do not deserve this treatment, especially as theirs is a service desperatly in need of more funding anyway. I can understand how you feel gecko, being an ambo your self this must strike close to your heart.

[ZA-289]

Thats disgusting, here's another story to make you wonder....

Over the weekend, some drunk idiots decided it would be a good idea to smash some beer bottles in the play ground of my sons day care centre, now they can't play outside. Its great weather here and my 13 month old son loves being outside, who would want to upset such an inncoent child.

WHY would anybody do THAT!!! Who thinks that is fun?

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Absolutely devastating.

I love my job, its not really a job, it is a passion and an identity. As a result, an attack like this on my beloved service feels so personal.

Emergency service personal dont EVER get the kudos the deserve and IMO far underpaid.
I think people need to spend the day with one to realise what actually goes on.
If i could put karma on the people that did it, hopefully one day they call you guys in an emergency and the call goes unanswered, harsh i know but thats how i feel.

[fmc351]

They really should bring em back. BYO pumpkins.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Emergency service personal dont EVER get the kudos the deserve and IMO far underpaid.
I think people need to spend the day with one to realise what actually goes on.
If i could put karma on the people that did it, hopefully one day they call you guys in an emergency and the call goes unanswered, harsh i know but thats how i feel.

I can understand that sentiment but it will never happen, we always attend and always to the best of our ability, it is the way we are regardless of what we personally think of the person.

I have just been out there, the scene is beyond belief. Two brand new vehicles can be seen (I mean brand new state of the art Mercedes Sprinter 318, we have some of the best in the country). One is burnt and obviously a write off although it still has white paint on it. The other has no paint left and is so burnt even the wheels melted and buckled. The third ambulance that has been written off was the one that was stolen and torched and is therefore not on scene.

I can confirm that the night crew were out on a job and are not hurt. I spoke to some of the crews from that station and gutted is not the word for it. Paramedics spend so much time at work that it really is a second home for us, absolutely devastating. I fell sorry for the crews, many of us store text books and other expensive personal items on station that will be hard to replace. Just 1 text book can be upwards of $350 and we often have $1-2k worth on station. These are item that are bought out of our own money and not provided by the service, not to mention staff laptops, lost computer files, assignments etc.

Personally I do a lot of shifts at Cleveland station as it is one that I often do overtime shifts at (close to home and a good station). For me it feels like it is loss, a place I felt I belonged. As one of the girls I spoke to today said, I am kind of an adopted Clevelandite, even though my actual station is on the other side of town (I am a Durackian).

Ambulance operations in the area continue on, at much inconvenience tot he Cleveland crews and crews of other stations. Cleveland has been split between two other stations and vehicles are sent into the Cleveland area for coverage, so it is business as usual.

There are already rumours floating around on who is responsible and word is that one person is in custody but that is just rumour and I will not go further into it as it is obviously still part of a massive investigation.

[DBourne]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

WTF

Why torch an Ambulance station???

Seriously this is ridiculous.

My thoughts exactly

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by fmc351

They really should bring em back. BYO pumpkins.

Here here

[Bobman]

Bloody scum.

In the 1990s in outer Melbourne, some rat bags glued key holes in ambulance doors rendering said ambulances useless until it was repaired. This impacted the community as they were rural ambulances.

This is exactly why we need proper punishment for these thugs. Hope an ambulance never turns up if they need one after torching that station.

[buggerlugs]

They'll get caught, come from a disfunctional, drugged, drunk, alcoholic family blah blah blah blah blah, then get a community order which they can't be bothered to complete...........................

[Iggypoppin']

Mandatory jail, with careful selection of their cellmate, the biggest, meanest most love-starved type they can find...then send them in naked. Good punishment I think.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

They'll get caught, come from a disfunctional, drugged, drunk, alcoholic family blah blah blah blah blah, then get a community order which they can't be bothered to complete...........................

Got it in one. Suspended custodial sentence at best. IMO they won't spend a day in the clink. As you say, community based order or some other rubbish.

PS. These sort of crimes should be treated especially harshly, as not only does it obviously involve life-saving public property being taken out of action, but the crime itself is totally pre-meditated. The perpetrator/s have planned the timing, bought equipment for the vehicle break-in, brought accelerants, travelled to the scene, and perpetrate the act stage by stage.

Meanwhile, innocent people who genuinely need urgent medical assistance due to accident etc are kept waiting (possibly at the risk of death) for an available unit due to this sort of disgusting act. Could be anyone's father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter trapped in a car wreck begging for help, except help cannot arrive because some nimrod has torched the local ambulances.

Fair dinkum, we reckon we've progressed as a society but sometimes I'd question that.

[platinumXR]

Hmmm...... does seem a little odd...mistaken identity / misgiuded retribution...?

These sorts of things are not spontaneous (pardon the pun) or arbitrary / random.

[g220ba]

Beyond belief why anyone would even consider doing this. The sort of scum that are coming out of the woodwork at the moment is beyond belief. Judges in this country need to start taking a hard line to crime instead of the lenient sentencing which is clearly not detering this sort of behaviour.

Gecko i can only begin to understand how you're feeling to lose essentially a second home like that. Good luck with everything mate.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Gecko speaks the truth!

The ambo's who live here in head office have it setup like a home away from home. When you talk to them and hear the stories from their day to day activities, you do really have a new found appreciation for what they do.