At 7:18 PM West Mead #1 was dispatched for manpower to assist Meadville Central with a fall victim near Cora Clark Park on Pine Street. All three engines and the squad were en route to training, so the department immediately responded and arrived less than three minutes later. Department 28 set up scene lighting in the ravine where the patient was located. Then crews set up a low-angle rope rescue to lift the patient in a Stokes basket from the rough terrain along the creek to the gravel trail. A cooperative effort brought the litter to the paved walkway, where the patient was transported by Meadville Ambulance to Meadville Medical Center.

While West Mead #1 was assisting Meadville Central with the fall victim, West Mead #2 responded to a fire alarm on Jefferson Street for the city.

By 8:10 PM all 28 units returned to service and continued with the scheduled training on pump operations at Neason Hill Elementary. This week’s evolutions focused on dump tank operations—filling each engine with 1,000 gallons of water and unloading that water as efficiently as possible into a simulated dump tank. Specially-made dump chutes allow the engines to unload their booster tanks quickly. Although West Mead #1 does not have any high-capacity tankers, the department frequently helps mutual aid companies with tanker shuttles in rural areas.