An elderly handyman who defied his wife’s orders not to go out on the roof has sparked a complex rescue job at Mount Keira.
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The 74-year-old waited until his wife went shopping on Friday morning before climbing a ladder and indulging his urge to clear out the roof valley.
He was mid-way through the job when he fell over. Old injuries and mobility problems then left him unable to raise himself.
His wife returned two and a half hours later to find him still face-down in the baking heat, yelling for help.
NSW Ambulance paramedics were called to the Balook Street property shortly before 1pm.
They were joined by police, Fire and Rescue NSW and State Emergency Services.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Norm Rees said the rescue was made complicated by the roof, with all rescue workers requiring harnesses and individual ties to an anchor point.
The man was ultimately placed on a stretcher and returned to the ground using a ladder slide.
“He had some minor abrasions and he was starting to dehydrate, as you can imagine, after two and a half hours in the hot sun. We got an insulator in between him and the roof, then secured him so he could slide,” Insp Rees said.
“We did a second medical assessment and left him in the care of his wife, who was waiting to have a serious conversation with him, because she told him not to go onto the roof.”