Tucked between water and woods, Edmonds, Washington, is the kind of town where people still wave at fire trucks. It’s a quiet, coastal community about 15 miles north of Seattle, where the smell of salt air mingles with cedar and coffee, and life tends to move at a calmer pace. Until someone steals the fire department’s F-150 from an active scene in broad daylight. And it wasn’t the first time this month.

That’s exactly what happened Friday morning, when crew from South County Fire were investigating the aftermath of a house fire on 76th Ave West. Responders had been on scene since early that morning.

Fire department contractors arrived to secure the home and tow away a scorched vehicle

To make room, a firefighter repositioned their Ford F-150 along the curb. The truck, painted bright red and flashing emergency lights, was left running.

The department says it’s standard procedure to keep the lights powered and the scene safe.

What wasn’t standard, though, was what happened next.

Within three minutes, an unknown man walked up, climbed in, and drove off

Firefighters and contractors were less than 25 feet away when the vehicle disappeared. A contractor at the scene said the stolen truck sideswiped another South County Fire F-150 as it fled.

The joyride didn’t last long. Edmonds Police found the vehicle just minutes later in nearby Shoreline. It had some minor cosmetic damage: scratched paint and a dinged bumper.

All emergency equipment remained intact. The only thing missing was a fuel card. The suspect, however, is still at large.

Chief Bob Eastman said the fire department is taking the theft seriously and exploring changes to vehicle security policies, training, and engineering. This truck will be taken out of service for inspection, but backup vehicles are ready if needed.

This marks the second emergency fire department vehicle theft in Snohomish County in less than a week

Just days earlier, someone stole an Everett Fire Department pumper truck and smashed it into at least 14 parked cars before fleeing on foot. That suspect hasn’t been caught either.

Two fire trucks stolen, both crashed, no arrests

Fire department officials across western Washington are rattled. These are vehicles funded by taxpayers and trusted in emergencies. Now they’re becoming targets in what’s either a troubling coincidence or the beginning of an unsettling trend.