April 21--A stranded hiker was rescued Sunday from the shoreline of the Cheat River through the cooperative efforts of volunteer firefighters from two counties.
Tanis Higgs, of Morgantown, who told rescuers he had been on a camping trip since Thursday, called 911 to report that he was in distress at about 9:30 on Sunday morning. He said he was on the shore of the Cheat River, somewhere below the overlook at Coopers Rock State Forest.
A boat and crew from the Masontown VFD in Preston County responded, along with crews from the Cheat Lake and Brookhaven VFD's in Mon County, Mon EMS, and a deputy from the Mon County Sheriff 's Department.
The Masontown firefighters picked up Higgs from the shoreline and transferred him to a boat staffed with Brookhaven firefighters and a Mon EMS emergency medical technician. He was then taken to land at the Sunset Beach Marina.
Higgs was not injured in the ordeal. "He was dehydrated, but otherwise was alright," said Cindy Wright of Mon EMS, who assisted in the rescue.
With the water level in Cheat Lake still low, Mon EMS was unable to use its own rescue boat. Sunset Beach Marina owner Barry Frey took the rescuers in his pontoon work boat to meet up with Masontown VFD's boat.
"We've done this before," Frey said. "We 're glad to help out."
Copyright 2014 - The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
