Australind SES’s headquarters became the target of a ram raid in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Around 3am on January 30, thieves used a car to knock down the front gate before driving into the premises.
The culprits rammed the Australind SES building, causing damage to one of the sliding doors.
They then set the vehicle alight in the car park and fled the scene. The vehicle was believed to have been stolen.
Soon after the incident, St John Ambulance officers alerted police.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services natural hazards district officer Nick Elrick described the incident as “disappointing”.
“To the volunteers, it’s extremely upsetting,” he said.
“They’ve put in all this time and effort for the community, and certain people in the community have taken that away...it is hurtful.”
A group of SES volunteers cleaned up the area, while Shire of Harvey personnel were tasked with removing the burnt-out vehicle.
“The volunteers are not currently at work, they are having to clean up after it,” Mr Elrick said.
“The building has to be secured before we get new doors installed.
“It is a cost to the community and a cost to the SES volunteers.”
Australind SES was taken offline, before being put back online later that day.
In a separate incident, several cars – situated in the Raymond Road car park – had their windows smashed overnight.
Anyone with information about either incident has been urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppers.com.au.
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