MEMPHIS, TN - While EMT’s are busy saving lives, Memphis Fire officials say someone has been busy stealing GPS systems out of ambulances, costing the department thousands of dollars.
In a business where seconds count, new measures are in place to keep a running count on GPS devices belonging to the Memphis Fire Department. More than a half dozen devices have been stolen from ambulances over the past couple of months. On Wednesday July 1, 2009, another GPS device one was reported missing after a check on inventory. If an EMT gets lost on the way to a scene, lives could be lost.
Councilman Jim Strickland is Vice Chair of the Public Safety Committee. The committee and the Memphis Fire Department are coming up with measures to prevent this from happening again.
All GPS systems will now have security cables attached, and according to fire officials, employees are now required to carry the device with them when they leave the ambulance.
“You’d think a church or an ambulance, a school will be off limits, but in Memphis, nothing is off limits,” says Strickland.
It’s unknown if any arrests have been made in connection to the GPS thefts.
