Ottawa firefighters, city employees rescue man buried up to waist in mud on Orléans trail

Ottawa firefighters rescued a man who was trapped up to his waist in mud in a bog in Orléans. Aug. 19, 2025. (Ottawa Fire Services)

Ottawa firefighters and a pair of City of Ottawa employees helped rescue a man who became trapped in mud after walking into a bog in Orléans.

The man was walking on a trail north of François Dupont Park at around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday. The man called 9-1-1 to say he was buried up to his waist in thick mud and couldn’t move. There was nothing around him to hold onto or pull himself up with.

Ottawa Fire Services public information officer Nick DeFazio said dispatchers obtained the caller’s GPS coordinates in order to inform responders exactly where the man was.

“Our dispatchers played a critical role in this rescue. They quickly retrieved the caller’s GPS coordinates and marked the location on the maps displayed on the portable tablets in all responding fire trucks, giving firefighters an exact route to the stranded individual.” DeFazio said.

Two City of Ottawa employees who maintain the area, Rene Bilodeau and Marc Brule, helped responding firefighters by showing them the quickest path to the trapped man and by clearing a path.

Rescuers reached the man at 11:24 a.m. Rope rescue technicians used specialized equipment to free the man, and he was out of the bog by 11:31 a.m.

The man was handed over to paramedics for assessment. An Ottawa paramedics spokesperson says the man was released at the scene.

“The Ottawa Fire Services would like to thank City of Ottawa employees Rene Bilodeau and Marc Brule for their valuable assistance during the rescue. Their quick actions and support alongside our firefighters helped ensure a safe and successful outcome,” DeFazio said.

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