Behind the scenes of STATION 38
(Edinboro, PA – May 07, 2026)
The siren sounds, lights flash and the trucks roll out.
For members of the Edinboro Volunteer Fire Department, the call to serve never really stops. Now, thanks to a group of PennWest students, their story will be shared on the big screen.
Student filmmakers will debut Station 38, during the David Weinkauf Student Film Festival at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in Louis C. Cole Auditorium – Memorial Hall. Created entirely by members of the university’s Moving Pictures Guild, the eight-minute film offers an inside look at the people behind the department and the commitment that defines their work.
“The documentary highlights the work the department does, how members balance their work and personal lives, the family-like bond within the department, and what they train for, including how they prepare for emergency situations,” said student producer and Digital Filmmaking and Photography (a.k.a. “Philm”) major Mary Gerace.
Through interviews with Chief Jason Dahle, Capt. Jim Dahle and Lt. Ryan Volz, the film captures both the intensity of emergency response and the quieter moments that reveal the department’s close-knit culture. The result is a portrait not only of service, but of community.
“The knowledge and dedication these students have for film is extraordinary,” said Jim Dahle, who serves as director of Safety and Risk Management at PennWest in addition to his leadership role at the Edinboro Volunteer Fire Department. “When they first contacted us about the idea, we weren’t sure what to expect; but they did an incredible job. They taught us things we never knew about film production, and we tried to teach them things about the fire service.”
The timeline was ambitious. The team began pre-production at the start of spring break and wrapped post-production just days ahead of the festival. Balancing coursework with an extracurricular film project added another layer of complexity — but also made the outcome more meaningful. “Since everyone involved is a full-time student, and this was an extracurricular project, it was amazing to see how well everything came together,” said Gerace, who hails from Jamestown, New York.
Directed by Gerace’s classmate Rylie Miller, a Philm major from Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, and supported by a crew of fellow Moving Pictures Guild members and officers, Station 38 reflects both technical skill and a shared passion for storytelling. More importantly, it shines a light on a group of local volunteers whose work often goes unseen.
Viewers can expect more than just a student film — they’ll see a tribute to service, sacrifice and the enduring spirit of a small-town fire department — set against the backdrop of a campus celebration of student creativity.