Dapto boy rescued from stormwater drain

Published: 2nd November 2012

An eight-year-old boy was rescued by firefighters from a Dapto stormwater drain last night (Thursday) after becoming trapped while trying to retrieve a lost ball.

Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews from Dapto and Wollongong and Ambulance Service of NSW paramedics were called to the incident at Ena Avenue about 6.30pm after the boy became wedged head-first down the drain.

One firefighter climbed into the drain to calm the boy for about 25 minutes while others firefighters worked to free him.

FRNSW crews used specialist rescue tools to bend metal to release the boy’s trapped head, and he was released into the hands of his anxious mother.

The boy was distressed, but unharmed. He was checked by paramedics immediately upon release.

Station Officer Darin Sullivan from Dapto fire station praised the fire and ambulance officers who worked swiftly to release the trapped boy, who could have sustained serious injury if not for the quick and professional work of emergency services crews.