Puppies and baby saved from floods - Casino
Published: 03 Mar 2022 03:14pm
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews, working with State Emergency Service and NSW Ambulance paramedics, have rescued three people and seven puppies, trapped in rugged terrain in floodwaters, 50km from Casino.
The joint team was deployed to reach a seriously traumatised woman, who was stranded with others when two flash floods destroyed a bridge leading to her remote home on Tuesday night.
The joint rescue team trekked five kilometres to the washed-out bridge and used ropes to scale their way 25-metres across a 10-metre drop.
They carried their “Ark Angel” boat and medical supplies one-and-a-half kilometres to the property.
The FRNSW ‘In-water’ rescue team, codenamed ‘Alpha Two’, and SES crew gathered the group together as the NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the woman, a dog breeder, who was sheltering at a neighbour’s home.
They then commandeered an aluminium ladder from a neighbouring home and guided the adults and litter of Chihuahua puppies to safety for the walk back to their vehicles.
The residents and dogs were taken to a local evacuation centre for further assistance.
In a second rescue, today, the ‘Alpha Two’ FRNSW experts teamed up with a Victorian SES crew to reach a family, including a baby, which had run out of supplies whilst stranded at Tatham near Casino.
The family of two adults and three children, aged three-months and about four and six, were surrounded by water in their home, which had lost power and water supplies.
They had also run out of food for the baby.
The passing FRNSW and SES teams in an SES flood boat were alerted by the family and hatched a quick rescue plan.
They reached the stranded family and fitted them with lifejackets, bringing them aboard the boat.
The family was taken to the opposite side of the flooded Richmond River where the children’s grandmother was waiting to take them to her Goonellabah home.
(Video of patrols and both rescues plus grab of Fire and Rescue NSW Station Officer, James Boland, from "Alpha Two," contained here from time codes 1.30 and 2.30 respectively:)
https://vimeo.com/684028735/d275e6e283 [external link]
Updated: 30 Jan 2023 09:14pm
Related safety topics
The leading cause of home fires in NSW is leaving cooking unattended.
It“s the law to have at least one working smoke alarm installed on every level of your home.
Details about this incident may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice.
For all life threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000)
For flood information, warnings or requests for non-life threatening assistance, call the SES on 132 500 or visit the NSW State Emergency Service website here. [external link].
For information directly relating to bushfires please call the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737 or visit the NSW Rural Fire Service Website here. [external link]
Stations nearby
43 Hickey Street, Casino NSW 2470
139-141 Molesworth Street, Lismore NSW 2480
13 Taylor Avenue, Goonellabah NSW 2480