The sun was shining and the breeze was light, so volunteers at the VICSES Foster Unit were surprised that their pagers went off three times the Sunday before last!
The first page was at lunchtime: a request from the CFA to assist with temporary roof repairs after they’d extinguished a house fire. Without a qualified crew available for working at heights, the Foster Unit had to call on their Leongatha neighbours for help, and crews from both units turned out to work together. It was an opportunity to build relationships as well as skills, and they left a grateful homeowner with a temporary tarp to protect against further damage.
There was barely time to get home when the pager went off again, this time with an even more unusual job: Chip the dachshund was stuck in a drainpipe!
A lovely walk in the late afternoon sun had been interrupted when Chip spotted a rabbit and shot off in chase, straight into a 40-metre-long drainpipe. Unable to convince him to back out, his owner cut his leash to allow him to run through the pipe and escape. Unfortunately, there was a build-up of dirt inside the pipe and Chip got stuck about four metres from the end, unable to dig his way out.
Three volunteers arrived at the scene to solve the puzzle of how to extract Chip. None were qualified for the job because there is no qualification for rescuing dachshunds from drainpipes. Lighting was set-up as night set in. The crew members worked together to improvise a solution, and family members were called on to bring extra tools. They attached a trowel to a pole and, lying stretched on the ground, used the implement to carefully remove the dirt that was blocking Chip’s exit. Chip provided barking encouragement as the crew patiently worked, and there was much excitement when he was finally freed and reunited with his very relieved owner.
To round out the day, the pager went off one more time that evening: thankfully just a bread-and-butter case of a tree down on the South Gippsland Highway! Sounds like your idea of a great day? Apply to join the VICSES Foster Unit at www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us. Alice Olenich
