ASCHAE’s DogBlog

Source: Cincinatti.com, September 29, 2009

An 80-year-old man who somehow became trapped in the bottom of a 15-foot deep septic tank behind his home has an unlikely neighbor to thank for his rescue – a 9-year-old mutt named Murphy.

“He was barking like he was being attacked – like he’s never barked before,” Walsh said. “He was pointed in the direction of the hole. Then we heard Mr. Paff yelling for help.”

But getting to the man, who Walsh identified as Paul Paff, would be difficult. Even when rescue crews arrived, it took nearly 2½ hours to get the man out as temperatures dropped into the 50s.

“It may have been as long as 3½ hours before he was discovered … so he was in the hole five to six hours,” said Delhi Township Fire Chief Bill Zoz. “The rescuers commented he was a pretty tough old guy – friendly. He kept talking to them.”

The first responders started a bucket brigade, moving water and waste out of the hole. It soon became apparent they needed heavier equipment.

Emergency crews from several jurisdictions sent manpower and gear, including a heater to pump warm air into the tank, septic trucks to pump out the water and sewage, lights & other materials.

Hours into the rescue, the Red Cross brought in food and drink for the estimated 60 emergency personnel.

When Paff was finally extricated using a rope and pulley system by the Hamilton County Urban Search and Rescue unit, he was decontaminated on the scene – the warm water was brought over by a neighbor – and transported to University Hospital by a medical helicopter.

He had signs of hypothermia, but authorities said he appeared uninjured. He does have known medical conditions, but authorities did not disclose details of his ailments.

As of 10:30 p.m., the hospital said he was in stable condition but still being evaluated.

Delhi Township Assistant Fire Chief Doug Campbell said trench rescues are not “cookie-cutter” operations. When someone becomes stuck like that for a prolonged period, they’re at risk for what is called “compartment syndrome,” which normally takes place after an injury or surgery and causes increased pressure within a specific area, impairing the blood supply.

It did not appear that Paff had fallen victim to this, Campbell said. Left untreated, compartment sydrome can lead to nerve damage or even muscle death.

As day turned to night on Pontius Road and neighbors went back to their homes and emergency crews began to disperse, Walsh stood in the long driveway to her mother’s house with Murphy, who jumped around excitedly and wagged his tail as the media arrived to take his photo. Videographers dropped their cameras to his level and he rushed up to each, poking his nose in each lens.

“He’s a cancer survivor,” Walsh said, smiling with the old boy. “Get a mutt – it might save your life.”