Firefighters Rescue Couple Trapped in Mud on Centerport Pond

The Centerport Fire Department responded to reports from a resident of two people in a kayak stuck in the mud in the middle of the Mill Pond in Centerport on Tuesday evening, August 4, at 8:56 p.m. Firefighters arrived and located the couple in a kayak about 100 yards off shore by Prospect Road. Rescuers were not able to reach the kayak due to the thick mud which restricted boat access. Centerport Fire Chief Brian Mark requested the assistance of the West Islip Fire Department for their Hovercraft vessel, which floats on air and can travel over mud, ice, and swampy areas where a conventional boat could not reach. Firefighters launched the Hovercraft from an access area on Centershore Road, and were able to reach the kayak in several minutes.  The female occupant was rescued at 10:02 p.m. and safely brought to shore, as the Hovercraft made a return trip to rescue the male occupant at 10:07 p.m. The couple were checked by the Centerport Rescue Squad and were uninjured but covered in dark mud. The Suffolk Police Aviation unit assisted with a helicopter that provided lighting during the rescue. The Suffolk Police Marine Bureau and Huntington Harbormaster also assisted. Forty firefighters and emergency medical personnel participated in the rescue and were on the scene with a heavy rescue truck, ambulance, rescue boat, fire police and the Hovercraft. The rescue was successfully completed in just over an hour and with no injuries, under the command of Chief Brian Mark and Assistant Chiefs Tom Boyd and Rich Miltner.

                                                                      Story and Photos by Steve Silverman    

Centerport Fire Department water rescue team members gear up in exposure suits.

Centerport and West Islip firefighters assist in bringing the Hovercraft to shore following the rescue.

The West Islip Fire Hovercraft launches in the mud of the Mill Pond in Centerport to rescue trapped couple in kayak

The rescued couple covered in mud with Centerport firefighters and rescue personnel.

Centerport Fire Department rescue truck and firefighters on the shore of the Mill Pond in Centerport.

Firefighters from the Centerport and West Islip with the Hovercraft at the Centerport firehouse following the rescue.