Whanganui Fire and Emergency NZ crews rescued two dogs trapped at the bottom of a 30m ravine off Kauarapaoa Rd, near Whanganui, last Friday. Photo / Supplied
Whanganui Fire and Emergency NZ crews rescued two dogs trapped at the bottom of a 30m ravine off Kauarapaoa Rd, near Whanganui, last Friday. Photo / Supplied
Two dogs have been rescued after falling down a 30m cliff near Whanganui.
Whanganui firefighters performed the technical line rescue operation after being called to the scene on Kauarapaoa Rd just before 6pm on April 3.
Two Whanganui crews responded to the call and made the hour-long trip.
Station officer Geoff Moore said the dog owner had an idea of where his dogs were, thanks to trackers.
Stormy and Rocky were trapped at the bottom of a ravine and pinned between a waterfall and a stream.
“We were hoping they were okay, we weren’t sure at that stage, [the owner] had tried to get down to them earlier but realised that it was far too dangerous, given the steep cliff,” Moore said.
Moore said the crews set up a line rescue plan and sent down experienced firefighter Gary Anderson to retrieve the uninjured dogs.
“They were fine down the bottom and from there we worked on bringing them up ... they weren’t too happy about being stuck down there.”
While rescuing the dogs, two separate calls needed to be attended in Whanganui.
“Line rescue jobs are quite labour-intensive, when the crews are sent out of town, we cover town with off-duty staff,” Moore said.
Moore said it is becoming “more and more common” to get other call-outs while occupied with another incident.
Those two calls would have gone unanswered had it not been for off-duty staff, some of whom had just worked a day shift, to leave their families and respond.
Moore said that is why the NZ Professional Firefighters Union [NZPFU] have launched a public petition for a full inquiry into Fire and Emergency.
