'Touch and go': firies in daring rescue with makeshift raft, dogs and darkness
The Advertiser26-05-2025
A Fire and Rescue NSW crew has pulled off an amazing rescue near Kempsey during the NSW mid-north coast floods.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
A Fire and Rescue NSW crew has pulled off an amazing rescue near Kempsey during the NSW mid-north coast floods.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
A Fire and Rescue NSW crew has pulled off an amazing rescue near Kempsey during the NSW mid-north coast floods.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
A Fire and Rescue NSW crew has pulled off an amazing rescue near Kempsey during the NSW mid-north coast floods.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
A Fire and Rescue NSW crew has pulled off an amazing rescue near Kempsey during the NSW mid-north coast floods.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
A Fire and Rescue NSW crew has pulled off an amazing rescue near Kempsey during the NSW mid-north coast floods.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
A Fire and Rescue NSW crew has pulled off an amazing rescue near Kempsey during the NSW mid-north coast floods.
The crew rescued two people and their working dogs from a flooded, isolated farm near Kempsey, on the Mid North Coast.
Strike Team Charlie was sent to help the residents, who were stranded for three days on the property near old Burgess Creek, about 10 kilometres from Kempsey.
The crew included leading firefighter Scott O'Shea, senior firefighter Gavin Smith, along with firefighters Michael Murphy and Patrick Burrows.
A triangulation navigation app was used to identify the farmstead after local landmarks were flooded.
The crew paddled in a rescue boat to reach the man (Troy) aged in his 60s, and a 32-year-old woman.
Upon arrival, senior firefighter Smith said there was not a "dry bit of land anywhere" and two dogs were "on top of the roof of a kennel".
The man (Troy) didn't want to leave his six working dogs behind, so the crew used a makeshift raft created by a bamboo fence to help in the rescue mission.
They used firefighting cords to create leads for the dogs and tied the raft to their inflatable flood boat.
With the man also on the raft to calm his dogs, they began the trek back.
However, they had to improvise again after leading firefighter O'Shea said the raft became "an anchor with the extra weight".
As a surfer, leading firefighter O'Shea has experience with stand-up paddle boards, so he volunteered to paddle it.
Facing a two-kilometre paddle at night, the firefighters identified their next challenge; finding their way back in pitch black conditions.
Their team leader, back at the temporary base of operations, radioed another fire crew from Wauchope, trained to use a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) or drone, to assist.
The drone was flown to meet the in-water crew and their passengers.
Its in-built spotlight was activated to guide the paddlers through the flooded bush to the safety point.
"It just made it a whole lot safer, and we knew once that drone was in the sky that everything was gonna be ok," leading firefighter O'Shea said.
"It was touch and go there for a while."
The return journey to safety took around two hours, while the journey to the couple and their dogs took around 30 minutes.
The couple was then transported to Kempsey Hospital in another fire truck for treatment.
Strike Team Charlie Leader, Inspector Gaven Muller, said the resilience and resourcefulness of the firefighters was outstanding.
"I'm so proud of this team and the way it cared for those trapped people and their animals," Inspector Muller said.
"Speaking over the radio, I told them, 'the drone is up, I've got you in my sights, just follow the light'.
"They said it was like a beacon and they knew they were heading in the right direction.
"Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to the hospital."
The man suffered mild hypothermia and the dogs were taken to Kempsey Showground.
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