Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have detailed their rescue of a pet dog after it fell down an embankment near Wilton, in Sydney’s south-west.
When they arrived at Maldon Bridge Road at roughly 5pm last Friday (10 May), firefighters from Picton and Narellan discovered that “Wilma”, an eight-month-old chocolate Labrador who had been missing for most of the day, was trapped on a small ledge, 40 metres down the embankment.
One of Wilma’s owners had located her and called FRNSW for help.
Technical Rescue Appliance
This truck carries specialist equipment such as balloon lighting
Faced with steep, volatile terrain and wet conditions, Vertical Rescue-trained and equipped firefighters from Liverpool attended with their ‘Technical Rescue Appliance’.
This truck carries specialist equipment such as balloon lighting, which helps in situations where increased visibility is required.
NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews from Wilton also attended and assisted the rescue by forming a ‘hauling party’. After securing specialist roping equipment, both pup and owner were safely hoisted to the top of the embankment, setting tails well and truly wagging.
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FRNSW Inspector, Steven Perkins, said interagency cooperation and operability enabled the successful outcome.
“It’s the cooperation between FRNSW and NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) that allows us to assist communities, particularly in tricky situations like this one.” Inspector Perkins said.
“It truly was a great team effort to pull off a rescue of this scale and degree of difficulty.”
