Around 5:20 pm Friday, Ithaca Fire and Bangs Ambulance were called to the 30-foot dam at Six Mile Creek for an unconscious individual who had been swimming. Crews found a person who was in significant medical distress that needed to be evacuated from the gorge. While providing medical care, firefighters used a Stokes basket, ropes, and a winch to extricate them and move them to a waiting ambulance.
During this rescue, a hiker alerted personnel that there was a group of individuals further down the trail yelling for help. After securing the first patient, firefighters investigated the report and found an individual who was stuck on a steep slope and unable to proceed any further. Crews used ropes to make access, secured them to rope, and moved them to safety. Firefighters then directed the group out of the Six Mile Creek natural area. Both operations took about two hours.
In addition to Ithaca Fire, Bangs Ambulance and the Tompkins County Sherriff’s Department assisted.
As the weather becomes sunnier and warmer, the Ithaca Fire Department would like to remind people to enjoy the gorges and natural areas safely. Stay on trails, don’t swim in unsafe areas, carry a cell phone, and know where you are in case you need to call for help.
