Image: Fire Rescue Victoria
A woman who became trapped under a large volume of silage was successfully rescued following a multi-agency operation at a property in Darnum on Sunday, 13 July.
The woman had been standing on a concrete pad near the base of a silage pit when a four-metre-high sheer wall of fodder collapsed on top of her.
Despite being almost completely submerged, she managed to hold onto her phone and call for assistance.
CFA crews from Warragul and Nilma North were among the first on scene, arriving shortly after 4:30pm alongside SES, Fire Rescue Victoria, Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria.
CFA Incident Controller Brian Brewer said the woman's upper body had already been uncovered by the time crews arrived, but her lower body remained buried.
"It was a time-critical situation, light was fading fast, and there was a storm approaching. Those factors influenced how we approached the rescue," Brian said.
It took crews just over an hour to successfully extricate the woman, who was carried by stretcher to a waiting ambulance and transferred to a helicopter for transport to hospital.
"In more than 40 years with CFA, this was certainly one of the more unusual rescues I've attended."
Brian, who is member of Warragul Fire Brigade, said crews faced several logistical hurdles.
"Conditions on the property were challenging. The yard was extremely wet, vehicle access was limited, and we had to carry in gear by hand. We relied on lighting and hand tools to free her," Brian said.
"We also had spotters monitoring the remaining silage wall throughout the operation for any signs of movement. We knew if rain set in, the conditions could quickly worsen and put everyone at greater risk."
Brian praised the cooperation between agencies throughout the incident.
"It was very much a team effort. CFA, SES, FRV, Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria all worked together seamlessly under pressure."
