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Editors note: Images available here.

NSW State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers have assisted police with a search for a missing 75-year-old woman in the Blue Mountains near Valley Heights Peninsula.

The multi-agency search, which involved NSW SES, NSW Police, Police Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and NSW Ambulance, commenced at about 4.40pm yesterday (Wednesday 12 June 2024).

The woman was found by SES volunteers this morning, 13 June 2024, and carried out by volunteers to a waiting ambulance about 11am.

NSW SES Blue Mountains Unit Senior Operator Jack Berger said it had been a challenging search in cold conditions.

“On Wednesday night we had a team of 10 search until midnight in dark, cold and arduous conditions,” Senior Operator Berger said.

“This morning, we resumed our search during the daylight and our specialist Bush Search and Rescue Team were able to locate the missing woman within 20 minutes of searching. It was a great result.”

“A lot of planning goes into these searches, and early on we identified communications and weather would be a challenge,” he said.

“So today we deployed a forward command vehicle as well as specialised mobile equipment to improve communications during the search for all emergency services.

“Those assets aided us well. We were able to maintain communications using radio, mobile and satellite technology, and the mobile command post gives us a safe area to work from, that is out of the weather, to brief teams and plan our actions.”

Senior Operator Berger said once the patient was located, she was assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being carried out on a stokes litter by personnel from NSW SES, Police Rescue and the RFS.

Senior Operator Berger, who has been with the NSW SES for six years, said today’s mission was the first he has led as search commander.

“I have been involved in a number of night searches and have completed all relevant training, but today was the first time I led the team on a daytime search, and it was just fantastic to get a positive outcome,” he said.

“The Blue Mountains area is one of the busiest in the state for search and rescue.”