Florida firefighters conduct elaborate search for man reported in drain

The Cape Coral Fire Department received an unusual call on Friday (April 17).

According to a Facebook post by the department, firefighters were called to assist with a search for a man who had been seen entering a storm drain on NE 10th Terrace behind a Publix shopping center.

As it turns around, crawling down into a drain to look for someone requires special attention, equipment, like a thermal imaging camera, and firefighters who are qualified and trained to do it, in this case a diver.

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Cape Coral firefighters search for man in storm drain

Here’s how the elaborate searach unfolded:

The Facebook post said a diver from Engine 4 climbed into the storm drain but could not enter the pipe due to dangerous conditions.

A city vacuum truck was then called to remove the water from the pipe.

Technical rescue squads from South Trail, Iona McGregor, and Estero responded ready to perform a confined space rescue once the pipe was empty of water.

When the water level dropped, the CCFD diver was able to enter the storm drain again and see into the pipe.

Using a flashlight and a thermal imagining camera, he looked for a person but found no one. He repeated this from the storm drain where the pipe ended as well, and, again, no one was seen.

The scene was cleared around 6:30pm with, fortunately, no one being found in the storm drain.

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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida firefighters search for man seen in a drain behind a Publix

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