THE SOARING PRICES OF CERTAIN METALS SUCH AS COPPER AND BRASS are bringing an increase in thievery.  For a while now there have been many instances of the crooks ripping copper piping out of vacant buildings.  But now their brazeness has spread to the brass fittings that fire departments rely on for firefighting connections.

Last week in Hesperia, California, an isolated desert community in San Bernadino County, a daytime house fire was severely compromised when the engines were unable to use the hydrant.  The brass nut and cap on the top had been removed by thieves making it inoperable.  The FD went looking for the next nearest hydrant and they soon found that every hydrant in the neighborhood had been stripped.

Jerry Malberg salvages a photo of his parents
from his burned house in Hesperia (Daily Press/Quigg photo)

The fire was heavy enough that the booster tank was insufficient and they had to wait 20 minutes for a tanker to arrive.  By then the house was lost.  The stole fittings bring the thief approx. $8.50 from unscrupulous salvage yards.  The replacement costs to the county are about $150.

Many FD’s are carrying replacement fittings with them, but in some cases they are unusable because the threads have been stripped.

The Hesperia hydrants have been repaired.

The San Bernadino County Sheriff’s office says that they have had more than 100 reports of hydrant caps being stolen in the past 6 months.

Later that same week, up in the Vancouver, Washington area, more than 2 dozen missing fittings from standpipe and sprinkler connections have been reported.  They expect there are many more that haven’t been noticed yet. 

The local FD’s are mounting a publicity campaign to alert the citizens to the problem and asking for their help in finding the damaged connections before they have a fire there.

The say that these type of thefts have increased in the last month.  Washington State passed a law requiring  salvage yards to wait 10 days before paying sellers of copper and brass fittings and also mandate that they be paid by mailing a check only.

But what is happening is that the thieves just scamper over the state line into Oregon where there are no such requirements to sell their plunder.

Fire District 6 spokeswoman displays
connection that is now being carried on
the Clark County engines (Columbian photo)

The Victorville Daily Standard has the Hesperia STORY.
(the reporter mistakenly calls the hydrant fittings “copper.”)
The Columbian has the Washington STORY.

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