Maritime rescue team helps locate injured man lost in forest

A coordinated multi-agency operation involving police officers, volunteer firefighters and maritime rescue personnel led to the successful recovery of a 65-year-old man who went missing overnight in a forested area near Warszkowo in northern Poland. The man, who had suffered an injury that left him unable to walk, was located at dawn thanks to an aerial search using a rescue drone operated by the coastal station of the maritime search and rescue service (MSPiR) in Darłowo. The drone was purchased with funding from the WFOŚiGW in Gdańsk.

Kamil Kusier executive editor 17.11.2025, 20:02 Reading time: 2 min

Police officer and paramedics walking along railway tracks through a forest — fot. KPP w Sławnie

In brief

Rescuers from the Coastal Maritime Rescue Station in Darłowo used a drone to find a missing 65-year-old resident of Sławno County in a forest near Warszkowo. The man himself called the 112 number at night, reporting loss of orientation and difficulty moving, after which the Sławno County Police Commander raised an alarm for officers. Firefighters from OSP Wrześnica also took part in the search, and the man was carried several hundred metres to a road and handed over to the ambulance service. Sebastian Kluska, director of the Maritime Search and Rescue Service, stressed that the drone was purchased thanks to support from WFOŚiGW in Gdańsk.

Critical night-time search in freezing conditions

The incident began late Saturday night when the missing man called the emergency number, reporting that he had become disoriented and was unable to move. With temperatures dropping and the man exposed to the cold, the Sławno county police launched an urgent search operation.

- Given the low temperatures and the real danger to life, a full alert was declared. Every hour and every metre of terrain mattered, said police press officer asp. szt. Kinga Warczak.

Volunteer firefighters from OSP Wrześnica and maritime rescuers from Darłowo joined the operation within minutes.

Rescue drone provides exact location

According to Warczak, the drone imagery proved decisive:

- The aerial footage allowed us to pinpoint the man’s precise location. This significantly accelerated our ability to reach him and provide pre-medical assistance.

Because the ambulance could not access the dense undergrowth, officers carried the injured man several hundred metres to the nearest road. He was transported to hospital with leg and hip injuries and severe hypothermia.

Maritime rescuers: “Search and rescue has no boundaries”

Although the operation took place far from the coastline, maritime responders played a key role.

- This time we were operating inland — but search and rescue is our mission regardless of the environment, said Sebastian Kluska, director of the MSPiR SAR. - At the request of the police, coordinated through the maritime rescue coordination centre in Gdynia, our team supported the search. The drone, funded by WFOŚiGW, enabled us to quickly locate the injured man. This operation shows how essential inter-agency cooperation is whenever a human life is at stake.

A model example of multi-agency coordination

The incident stands as a strong example of how collaboration between police, fire services and maritime rescue teams can dramatically improve outcomes. It reinforces a principle shared by all emergency responders: effective rescue knows no borders — whether at sea or on land.

Source: Gazeta Morska · Compiled by: Kamil Kusier