BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- North Metro and adjacent fire departments have been reporting a noticeable number of fire department water connections that have been deliberately vandalized and have parts missing.

North Metro Fire Rescue District issued a warning Thursday to property owners and/or tenants to familiarize themselves with their building’s connections. If a property has a sprinkler system or standpipe system, there will be an exterior connection for fire departments to use in the event of a building fire.

With pieces of the fire department connections missing, responding fire engines cannot connect into the buildings sprinkler system as they were designed to do. This results in the fire department’s inability to pump in additional water to the sprinkler system or adjust the water pressure to help improve fire suppression capabilities.

"While this may appear to be a small theft from the standpoint of a criminal," said Public Information officer Wendy Forbes. "These individuals are missing the bigger picture of the hazard they leave behind. While they may think all they are doing is impacting businesses, what they are really doing is putting people at great risk."

While the motive behind this trend of vandalism is unclear, Fire Departments believe that the criminals are likely turning in the stolen pieces to scrap metal industries.

North Metro asked business owners and property owners to familiarize themselves with what their fire department connections should look like and make it a habit to check the system on a regular basis (i.e. once a week). If a property owner notices anything unusual or pieces missing, they should contact their fire department immediately and initiate repairs to the system.

Businesses in Broomfield and Northglenn, should contact the North Metro Fire Rescue Fire Prevention Division at 720-887-8217.

"We need businesses to get involved for their own best protection," said Forbes. "Don’t fall under a false sense of security -- instead reinforce it by making a quick inspection a part of your weekly routine."