Source: Radio New Zealand
A Muriwai memorial for firefighters Craig Stevens and Dave van Zwanenberg. RNZ / Rayssa Almeida
A leading search and rescue operator says he told police he could hear a noise so the search for a dead firefighter could continue.
A coronial inquest is exploring the desperate search and rescue operation after volunteer firefighters Dave van Zwanenberg and Craig Stevens were buried by a slip at Muriwai on Auckland’s west coast during Cyclone Gabrielle.
Urban Search and Rescue operations officer Glenn Hudson described the chaotic scene as he arrived in Muriwai on the night of 13 February 2023.
He explained that fellow volunteers and members of the public were digging through the dirt.
“It was natural that they wanted to help their fellow brigade members, but they were not trained in search and rescue incidents of this nature,” he said.
“There was no real command or control of the other staff apart from the USAR staff, so we had to take control and bring order to what was a very chaotic situation.”
Firefighters Dave van Zwanenberg (left) and Craig Stevens, who died after getting trapped in a slip in Auckland’s Muriwai during Cyclone Gabrielle in February, 2023. Supplied
Hudson gave the order to remove everyone but trained search and rescue staff from the site.
But while the scene was under control, the conditions were chaotic.
“I recall the conditions at Muriwai were horrendous. It was difficult to see more than a metre in front of you,” he said.
“I had been involved in numerous USAR operations around the world, and the conditions at Muriwai were the worst I have encountered.”
Stevens was freed from the pile at about 3am, but he was hypothermic. He died in the hospital later that day.
Staff had been digging for hours, but saw no sign of van Zwanenberg.
In that time, two more slips had fallen from the cliff, and fearing for the safety of his team, Hudson made an impossible decision.
“At 0305, I made the difficult decision to terminate the rescue operation,” he recounted through tears.
When search and rescue staff returned the next day, police had taken control of the scene.
The operation had moved from rescue to recovery, and progress had slowed to a crawl.
After hours of waiting, Hudson took matters into his own hands.
“I was extremely frustrated. After going back up to the slip site, I decided we needed to get on with the recovery, as it was safe to do so, and the delays now mean a family has no answers for possibly another night,” he said.
“So, I said that I had heard a tapping, which I thought was coming from Dave. By raising the possibility of Dave being alive, I was able to make the case for reopening a rescue operation.”
Hudson explained that at this point, geotechnical staff had assessed the site and determined it was safe to keep digging.
“In my view, the safety of all rescue personnel was at its best since the beginning of the incident. I knew that we would soon run out of daylight, and apart from the safety of my staff, which is my paramount concern, my other concern was to return Dave to his family in a timely manner.”
He remarked that after explaining his decision to other leadership staff, they smiled in recognition.
“Although they did not say anything to suggest this, I believe [they] were aware that I was using this as a pretext to get things moving. They both smiled at me and said, good work.”
But Hudson acknowledged that his actions had gone against protocol.
“I know that what I did is not protocol, but one of FENZ’s values is to do the right thing,” he said.
“Everything I did was very measured. I was not putting my guys at risk, but I felt that we could have and should have done more to recover Dave earlier.”
Van Zwanenberg’s body was recovered the following morning.
“A group of USAR personnel carried Dave to the waiting undertaker’s vehicle. After placing Dave into the van, we set up a guard of honour as the van left the slip site to head to the Muriwai fire station.”
Van Zwanenberg’s family thanked Hudson through their lawyer, Jane Glover.
“The family would like to formally thank you and your team for going above and beyond to bring Dave home to his family and for carrying out the operation with the utmost respect and dignity,” Glover said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
