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Breaking News: Thief steals meds from ambulance during Lexington fire

Monday, September 15, 2008 2:40 PM PDT

By Leslie Slape
lslape@tdn.com

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Sometime while Cowlitz 2 firefighters were battling a blaze early Sunday morning that destroyed a vacant house in Lexington, a brazen thief slipped into an ambulance and stole assorted medication.

The stolen medicine included Quelicin, a powerful muscle relaxant that could kill the user if taken recreationally, said Capt. Mark Nelson of the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.

Druglib.com gives a long lists of adverse reactions to the drug, beginning with cardiac arrest.

None of the stolen drugs were narcotic painkillers, Nelson said.

The ambulance was parked at the scene but ultimately wasn’t needed because the home was vacant and no firefighters or civilians were injured.

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mikadax wrote on Sep 15, 2008 10:54 AM:

" Whoever stole these meds, DON'T USE EM! Heed the warning, it's not worth it. "

DUH wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:06 AM:

" The link is www.druglib.com not drublib.com "

Adolph Oliver-Bush wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:36 AM:

" I'm pretty sure the crew on the ambulance was fighting fire, not just hanging around in case someone gets injured. Get the it straight, TDN!!! "

stargoddess wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:36 AM:

" If they DO use those drugs, then they deserve EVERYTHING that happens. "

lola*in*longview wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:51 AM:

" I'm sure the crew of the ambulance wasn't fighting the fire. They aren't trained to fight fires, they were there standing by in case someone was hurt or they did find someone in the house, if they are in there fighting the fire what happens when someone needs to be taken to the ER. TDN got it right. "

berryjewels wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:58 AM:

" so did any one think that maybe the fire was set so that the meds could be taken? It is a sad thought that people could be resorting to this and shows that there is a much bigger problem out there. It is pretty bad if we have an emergency some where that we are going to have to have Police there to protect the emergency crews so that things like this don't happen. We don't have the Police in the Department now that we need how are we supposed to take more and send them out extra to try and make sure that this doesn't happen again and again? "

justa_name wrote on Sep 15, 2008 12:13 PM:

" yeah I think Adolph Oliver-Bush needs to read a bit better, it never said that they were just hanging around. "

Adolph Oliver-Bush wrote on Sep 15, 2008 12:29 PM:

" Check your facts Lola. The ambulance crew was a Cowlitz 2 crew and yes, Cowlitz 2 ambulance crews are firefighters to and as such, fight fire too. It's time you should familiarize yourself with our emergency services delivery system. Ignorance can be a very dangerous thing.... "

mother in kelso wrote on Sep 15, 2008 12:59 PM:

" ok I've got a question. If the crew of the ambulance wasn't fighting the fire as some state then where were they when these people got in to steal the drugs? If they were in fact helping with the fire good for them. "

kg wrote on Sep 15, 2008 1:14 PM:

" So, if the guy is gonna ingest the meds ... who is he (or his buddy, family member, whomever) gonna call when he goes into cardiac arrest? "

mikadax wrote on Sep 15, 2008 1:22 PM:

" The medic crew on a fire scene can have a helping role other than being physically in the ambulance. They can be in a supportive role that has them outside of the ambulance and still be there available for any possible injuries, FYI. "

country gal wrote on Sep 15, 2008 1:32 PM:

" I thought that wherever they dispatched the EMT vehicles, they would be followed with police cars. Weren't they there? "

Kaijakoira wrote on Sep 15, 2008 1:52 PM:

" This will most likely happen again as recreational drug usage increases & thieves become more brazen. Would it be cost effective to place video surveillance cameras on the backs of ambulances? Of course there would be privacy concerns to address-- ideally, paramedics (but not thieves) could switch the camera off (preferably quickly, without wasting valuable time) before loading someone into the ambulance. Just something to think about..... Any other ideas (other than tempting-but-illegal ones)? "

Rural Citizen wrote on Sep 15, 2008 2:08 PM:

" Sad. Maybe the protocol needs to be changed to allow for a member of the ambulance team to stand by next to the vehicle with the keys while the vehicle stands by.... LOCKED. "

Leslie Slape wrote on Sep 15, 2008 2:25 PM:

" I meant that the ambulance vehicle was standing by. I was not referring to the firefighter-paramedics. "

Realist wrote on Sep 15, 2008 3:11 PM:

" No worries Leslie. It seemed pretty obvious to ME what you meant. Have a nice day. "

dispatcher wrote on Sep 15, 2008 3:27 PM:

" Fyi for country gal, as someone who works for law enforcement and fire services just because an ambulance or firetruck is sent to a call doesn't mean law enforcement automatically goes. Typically fire or aid will ask when they needs law to go to a call with them. "

bdha wrote on Sep 15, 2008 3:37 PM:

" sound pretty suspicious, are we sure it not an inside job, i mean come on how many people are going to get into an ambulance "

justareader wrote on Sep 15, 2008 3:41 PM:

" You know, it really doesn't matter what the crew was or was not doing. I used to be that there was a "bit" of honor among thieves. They simply didn't mess with the emergency vehicles! This honor, with meth use, is long gone. EMT's cannot afford to have everything locked up as it may be needed at a moments notice. It's up to the lookey-loos to help monitor the area. Soooooooo, be a good neighbor when emergency personel are around. Start your neighborhood watch and be available to help. Even if it's only with your eyes as a good witness. Use your voice to call out and bring attention to the situation. If you are there, be aware! "

country gal wrote on Sep 15, 2008 5:05 PM:

" Dispatcher: thank you for the info. I didn't know that. I just automatically assumed that it was part of police procedure to follow EMT vehicles. "

cobbwebber wrote on Sep 15, 2008 6:25 PM:

" "When will the drama ever stop" "

l-town mom wrote on Sep 15, 2008 6:40 PM:

" Unfortunately, those who steal drugs often don't really know what they are getting. On a side-note, I once read about a thief who thought he was stealing Oxycontin, but actually stole Oxytocin (a med used to induce labor/uterine contractions.) Needless to say, he had some pretty funky side effects when he ingested it; none of which were the 'high' he was looking for. "

ffemt25 wrote on Sep 15, 2008 11:51 PM:

" i can see how a thief got into the ambulance and got the drugs. it could have been a inside job. but you have to ask yourself how many people have seen a emt or paramedic get into the rigs they drive. as a EMT we are taught to stay with the rigs on a fire scene until needed. but then again we also are supposed to lock the rigs when not around them. i feel bad for cowlitz 2 rescue cause now the city/department has to pay for new drugs for their rigs and the tax payers will probally foot the bill cause someone was looking for a fix. on one more note if anyone has ever been near a ambulance there are spots on the rigs that is a push button the unlocks the rigs so they are accessed. good work on the fire guys keep fighting the good fight and be safe out there. "

mole wrote on Sep 16, 2008 8:45 AM:

" an inside job? come on why steal a drug that stops your heart? some druggie got in there,finger print the area and any print that does not match who was supposed to be there,that is the thief "

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