Templeton Fire officials are turning to the community to help find the source behind recent vandalisms at their fire training lot.
According to Fire Chief Tom Peterson, the vandalisms have been taking place over the past month. The department believes the vandals are kids within the community.
Officials say the vandals are trespassing onto the training lot, spray painting different locations on the site including the inside and outside of their two-story training tower. It is delaying the process of getting the facility up to speed as a working training center.
The vandals are also taking parts from cars that they use for auto extrication and scattering them throughout the training tower and on the roof.
"Keep in mind the Templeton Fire is a small department and our resources are limited and this just costs us time and money to do stuff that we really don't have the time or money to do," says Peterson. "They are only hurting the community that they live in and we would just appreciate it if they would respect their local fire department and that we need to be able to take care of what we have because we do not have the resources or the money to replace it.
The department is working with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office and the local high schools' resource officer to try and determine who may be behind the vandalism.
