A theft is creating huge safety concerns for a community. Someone stole thousands of dollars in equipment from the Red Lick Volunteer Fire Department in Madison County. It's the second like theft in just the last two months.

"We can't do this anymore, we just can't afford another hit," said Red Lick Vol. Fire President Donnie Marshall.

He says the most recent theft was discovered Tuesday afternoon when firefighter's arrived on the scene of a brush fire.

"We opened the back of our brush truck and we were missing leaf blowers, chainsaws and other important fire fighting tools," Marshall said.

He says the two-thefts have cost the non-profit department $7,000.

"And it's sad when these people take from a volunteer department that's trying to help them. If its someone in this community, ya know, I feel sorry for them. It's sad to take from a department that's going to put your house out or gonna help you, put a forest fire out, that's gonna burn your home down, or your family's home," said Donnie Marshall, president of the Red Lick Volunteer Fire Department.

The volunteer fire department operates on $30,000 a year. The volunteer firefighters are using money out of their own pockets to replace the stolen equipment.

The department plans to install a video surveillance system in the near future.