A man must have his priorities. Fisherman fails to follow orders during water rescue. But all survive (including the new rod).

More video from the rescue

I some how missed this one when it occurred last Wednesday. I guess I am not alone because I couldn’t find it on Firegeezer and some how Gary Sharp missed sucking this one up for FireSpecialOps.com. It’s about a man who has his priorities. His name is David Kelley.

Photo by Tom Heffernan, Sr./Special to the Times Union.

Kelley, 65, was determined to try out his brand new custom fly rod on the Normans Kill River in Albany, New York. So determined that he didn’t realize until it was too late that the river was just a little too much for him as he waded out into the middle. Lucky for Kelley, just as determined was Firefighter Keith Cipollo from the rescue squad at Albany’s Arbor Hill firehouse. Despite being in a heap of trouble, Kelley wasn’t about to let go of his brand new rod. Here’s how Paul Grondahl at TimesUnion.com described it:

According to witnesses, Kelley, who appeared to be middle-aged, was bent on testing out a new custom fly rod in advance of the April 1 start of trout season.

“I told him to drop the pole as I was trying to help him, but he wouldn’t,” Cipollo said. “He said he just got it.”

When the fisherman realized he was in trouble, he apparently called for help to people on shore.

He had enough sense to remain put instead of trying to wade across the treacherous, roiling whitewater.

“If he fell like I fell trying to get across, he would have been swept down the creek, and that was not a good move,” Cipollo said. “He was stuck there in a very precarious position.”

Firefighters, police and emergency rescue personnel from Albany, Bethlehem and Slingerlands used ropes and other equipment to get to Kelley. He managed to walk to safety, inching himself slowly along the rope. He got out on the Bethlehem side of the Normans Kill after getting in on the Albany side.

He never dropped his fly rod.

“He was very attached to that fishing pole,” Cipollo said.

Also on STATter911 …

• Floating restaurant becomes dinner cruise. Jeff Ruby’s Waterfront in Covington, KY floats away. Plans to stay open during flood hit a snag & a bridge. – March 12, 2011
• Video: House fire Center Valley, Pennsylvania. Newsworking again on the scene. – November 23, 2010
• Raw video: Man clinging to a branch rescued from Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, Virginia. – September 7, 2011
• FireTruckBlog.com: Apartment building’s insurance company sues City of Boston & repair shops in connection with Lt. Kevin Kelley’s death. – January 8, 2011