BETHEL TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- In Armstrong County, the Bethel Township Volunteer Fire Department has lost several thousand dollars in equipment after its rescue boat capsized in rain-swollen Crooked Creek.

As it turned out, the call was a false alarm and no one needed to be rescued because the two kayakers had made it to shore safely, but never called anyone to say they were safe.

"We lost two radio, valued at about $1,700 each, some rescue rope and two flashlights valued at $4,000," Assistant Bethel Township Fire Chief Steve Dixon said.

Dixon and another firefighter were not injured when their rescue boat capsized in the deep, swift-moving water. The rescue boat was recovered the next day.

The two kayakers, identified by State police as 54-year old John Smittle and 46-year-old Victor Carosella, both of Lower Burrell, were charged with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

One was spotted walking along Route 66 carrying a paddle after the kayaks capsized. The other man was located at his camp nearby.

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