MANCHESTER BY THE SEA — A series of emergencies on Thursday tested the limits of the Manchester Fire Department, which had only three on-duty firefighters available to respond to a flurry of calls, including a structure fire.
The first incident, a medical emergency, required immediate attention from two paramedics who transported the patient to Beverly Hospital.
Soon after, the department received a call about a lost hiker in Chebacco Woods.
Engine 1, manned by a single firefighter, and C1, with a firefighter responding from home, were dispatched to the scene.
Lieutenant Doucette coordinated a search effort that included additional resources from the Essex Fire Department, Manchester Police, and Gordon College Police.
As the lost hiker was located and rescue efforts were underway, a report of a structure fire on Sea Street came in.
With no units available, Manchester called for mutual aid.
The Beverly Fire Department sent an engine company and a deputy chief, while Essex provided a ladder company.
Ambulance 1, having just returned from Beverly Hospital, was also dispatched to the fire.
Together, the combined efforts of the multiple departments extinguished the fire before significant damage could occur to the surrounding structure.
Wenham Fire Department provided coverage at the Manchester station during the incidents.
The Manchester Fire Department expressed gratitude to their mutual aid partners, including Essex, Beverly, Wenham, the Manchester by the Sea Police Department, and the dispatchers at North Shore Regional 911 Center.
Without the assistance of these agencies, the outcomes of the day’s emergencies could have been far worse.
