FILE PHOTO

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

A Kamloops Fire Rescue captain woke up to find his garage had been broken into and discovered a computer, GPS unit, memorabilia and his firefighting gear were missing.

Daniel Funk was planning to visit his daughter in Vancouver on July 6. When he stepped outside to load his vehicle, he noticed something on his Valleyview driveway.

“I noticed that there was a wallet of mine laying in front of my truck, and I was thinking, ‘oh no, (thieves) broke into my truck again,’ but then I realized my truck was locked up and fine,” Funk says. “Then I thought I should check my shop... the man door had been locked but in the back of my shop I have a two-foot by three-foot window and I left it open a crack just to circulate air... They ripped the screen out, opened up the window, and they had to jump five feet to get in through the window.”

Funk has had people break into his vehicles three times in the past, but never have they broken into the garage. The wallet was one of several items that had been stolen overnight.

“I’m a captain for the fire department so I had all of my badges and collectibles, wallets, a whole bunch of fire department paraphernalia, and in the bottom of that box it was filled with old coins, coins from the Calgary Stampede, the Vancouver PNE from years ago, and other collectable coins from Czechoslovakia, Mexico and a whole bunch of other older coins.”

Funk estimates there were about 200 coins he has collected and been gifted over the years, and although they haven’t been appraised he guesses they’re worth upwards of $2,000. The thieves also stole a computer, a GPS unit and his firefighting gear.

“I have my fire department bunker gear in there, and they took my bag. It’s a fire department bag with my name on it… that had all my extra gloves, I have my breathing apparatus mask in there, I had my urban interface fire coveralls and I had sunglasses and a whole bunch of other stuff in there,” Funk says.

Funk sometimes works as a paid-on-call firefighter, which is why he had some of the equipment at his home in case of a call. He hopes to find the equipment so that it won’t need to be replaced with taxpayer’s money.

When he’s not fighting fires, Funk plays rock and roll music with his band. The group uses his garage as a rehearsal space, and he’s relieved the thieves didn’t touch any of the guitars on the wall or his drum set.

“I was pretty thankful they didn’t touch my drums, because if they would’ve grabbed one of my symbols, it would’ve been worth probably $1,000,” Funk says.

Funk will be returning from Vancouver today, July 8, and plans to check out local pawn shops for his items, and says he’ll take a walk by the river where he heard some stolen items are often found.

He says the box containing the coins and fire hall memorabilia is about 18 inches by eight inches, with a brown exterior, a handle on top and a latch. The bag containing his firefighting gear is a black and has his name on it.

He has reported the theft to the police. If you happen to find any of Funk’s items, call the Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Wheeler or call (250) 819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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