First aid instructor forced to replace equipment after thieves steal everything
SUMNER, Wash. - A first aid instructor is trying to rebuild her livelihood from the bottom after thieves stole thousands of dollars of gear out of her car. They also stole something belonging to her late father that is irreplaceable.
On June 17, Tammy Fairley woke up to find her car broken into. She was staying overnight at the Holiday Inn Express in Sumner to teach a class.
The thieves had taken nearly $10,000 in CPR and first aid equipment.
"That's what perplexed me because I cannot imagine that there would be any pawn shop that would take CPR equipment," Fairley said.
Her work as a certified CPR instructor has spanned over 32 years using a collection of gear designed for classroom instruction.
"They literally cleaned out every piece of equipment. They got 11 of my infant mannequins. They got two of my adult mannequins, they took my defibrillator trainer," Fairley said.
The stolen gear included mannequins worth hundreds of dollars each, totaling an estimated value of ten thousand dollars.
"I can't fathom what they're doing with it. Unless it's going to be, you know, heaven forbid, they're going to make like Halloween decorations or something," She said.
The thieves also appeared to try and steal Fairley's car but abandoned the plan after damaging the ignition and steering column.
They also took something that can't be replaced.
"One of the things I'll never get back and this is [going to] sound hokey and sentimental," Fairley began. "I had a denim jacket in there that had angel wings on the back. And on the inside of that jacket sewn in there was one of his Air Force patches from basic training. I'll never get that back... that one hurts me more than even the equipment," Fairley lamented.
It was her father’s Air Force patch. He died on Father’s Day 2016, and her car was broken into just a day before Father's Day this year.
Sumner Police were unable to identify the vehicle or two men believed to be involved. Security camera footage was too poor to identify the suspects. It's believed they were driving a black BMW.
Fairley's insurance provider has declined coverage for the stolen gear.
Fairley estimates she’s taught thousands of people how to perform life-saving measures to everyday people.
"There have been many times over the years where, for me personally, I've said, No, I'm not going to teach anymore, I'm probably not doing any good. And then I get the phone call, you know, from somebody that you know, it saved their baby, or they knew what to do for the neighbor or for the stranger or whatever it might be. And it kept me going.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Fairley replace her equipment.