New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate, and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from across New York State. 

In 2022, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 359 search and rescue missions, extinguished 162 wildfires covering more than 1,300 acres, participated in 53 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate nearly 900 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in hundreds of tickets and arrests.    

“With more people visiting State lands and enjoying New York's myriad, world-class outdoor recreational opportunities, DEC’s Forest Rangers are on the front lines to help visitors get outside responsibly and get home safely,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Each day, these highly trained first responders are protecting irreplaceable natural resources and utilizing their expert knowledge of wildland fire suppression, wilderness first aid, land navigation, law enforcement, and technical rescue techniques to successfully execute critical missions for DEC and our countless local, state, and national partners.”   

Town of Harrietstown 

Franklin County 

Training: On Oct. 12, nine Forest Rangers attended a critical response preparedness training with members of LifeNet and staff from the Saranac Lake Emergency Room at the Lake Clear Airport.

Training with LifeNet (photo attached)

Town of Johnsburg 

Warren County 

Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 12 at 6:38 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call forwarded from Warren County 911 about a group of hikers on Crane Mountain who were running out of daylight and didn’t have headlamps. The three hikers from Plattsburgh included a nine-year-old. Forest Ranger Morehouse reached the hiking party at 8:32 p.m. and helped them to the trailhead. Resources were clear at 10:07 p.m. When preparing for a hike, outdoor enthusiasts are reminded to bring the 10 Hiking Essentials, even when planning a short adventure. 

Town of New Berlin 

Chenango County 

Wilderness Recovery: On Oct. 12 at 9:40 p.m., Chenango County requested Forest Ranger assistance in the search for a missing 64-year-old. The subject’s wife indicated he drove his UTV, possibly to go fishing. At 10:40 p.m., Ranger Burkholder found the UTV near a pond and saw personal items floating near a boat with a broken motor. At 11:37 p.m., members of the New Berlin Fire Department found the subject deceased in the water, approximately 30 feet from shore. The subject was turned over to the Chenango County Medical Examiner. 

Town of St. Armand 

Franklin County 

Public Outreach: On Oct.13, Forest Ranger Lieutenant LaPierre and Rangers Adams and Ordway joined the Bloomingdale and Paul Smiths-Gabriels fire departments for fire prevention day at Bloomingdale Elementary School. Fifth-grade students participated in a “bucket brigade” where they passed cups of water to fill fire department buckets to put out a campfire. Students also got to meet Smokey Bear. 

Bucket brigade at Bloomingdale Elementary (two photos attached)

Lt. LaPierre and Smokey Bear (photo attached)

Ranger Ordway and Smokey Bear (photo attached)

Town of Mamakating 

Sullivan County 

Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 13 at 2 p.m., Forest Ranger Schweider heard a radio call from the Summitville Fire Department about a hiker who was dizzy and vomiting on a trail on Roosa Gap State Forest. Summitville Fire and Mamakating EMS reached the patient at 3 p.m. and secured the 50-year-old from Pennsylvania in a litter. Ranger Schweider assisted with the carry-out, which included a rope system for steep areas with loose terrain. Mamakating EMS transported the subject to the hospital at 3:30 p.m. 

Village of Clinton 

Oneida County 

Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 13 at 5:47 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about a hiker suffering from knee pain on the Cranberry Lake 50 Trail. The 20-year-old was with three other St. Lawrence University students. Ranger Dempf contacted the subject, who indicated she wanted to spend the night at the campsite. The following morning, Rangers Dempf and Jansen traveled via motorboat to Chair Rock Flow on Cranberry Lake. Rangers reached the subject at Five Ponds Wilderness Area and assisted the patient onto the boat. Rangers assessed the injury and kept her warm until they reached the DEC boathouse and met the hiker’s companions. Resources were clear at 7:13 a.m.  

Village of Cattaraugus 

Cattaraugus County 

Wilderness Search: On Oct. 14 at 9:30 a.m., while participating in a search training class on Cattaraugus State Forest, Forest Ranger Hettenbaugh was approached by a subject who said his 83-year-old father was lost. The Ranger called the missing subject and tried using his siren to get a location, but the 83-year-old couldn’t hear it. Ranger Hettenbaugh asked the subject to call County Dispatch in order to obtain GPS coordinates. Ranger Skudlarek and volunteers from the Killbuck, Little Valley, and Seneca fire departments, who were all part of the training class, located the subject at the coordinates and assisted him back to his vehicle. Resources were clear at 10:15 a.m. 

City of Albany 
Albany County 
Public Outreach: On Oct. 14, Forest Ranger France attended the annual Smokey Bear Day at the Albany Pine Bush. Hundreds of people attended the event, learned about prescribed fires, hiked trails, and received a hands-on look at fire tools and equipment.  

Ranger France and Smokey Bear (photo attached)

Smokey Bear Day at Albany Pine Bush (photo attached)

Town of West Turin 

Lewis County 

Wilderness Search: On Oct. 14 at 3:42 p.m., Lewis County Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for a hunter who fell in Lesser Wilderness State Forest. The 82-year-old from Turin said he wasn’t injured, but unable to get up. Ranger Evans and Thomes worked with Sheriff’s Deputies to find the subject, help him up, and walk him out of the woods to his vehicle. Resources were clear at 4:47 p.m. 

Town of Ghent 

Columbia County 

Wilderness Search: On Oct. 15 at 4:44 p.m., Forest Ranger Gullen overheard Columbia County radio traffic about a missing vulnerable adult in a wooded area. New York State Police responded with a bloodhound and a drone. Ranger Gullen joined Rangers Allwine, Martin, and Sweeney in the search for the 78-year-old from Ghent. Ranger Allwine heard a faint call for help. Rangers pinpointed the location and found the subject at 9:50 p.m. Austerlitz Fire assisted with a UTV for the evacuation. The subject, who was exhausted and had minor scrapes and bruises, was turned over to Greenport Rescue for transport to the hospital for further evaluation. Resources were clear at 11:30 p.m. 

Ghent search (photo attached)

Job Openings 

Radio Dispatcher: DEC is hiring three part-time, temporary radio dispatchers. Positions are based in Ray Brook and focused on taking emergency calls and dispatching crews to emergencies. Dispatchers explain their job duties in a video on DEC’s YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/PdVvizyZdP0.  Applications are due by Oct. 25, https://statejobs.ny.gov/employees/vacancyDetailsView.cfm?id=141142… For information about this and other DEC openings, go to https://www.dec.ny.gov/about/27863.html.  

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC's Hike Smart NY, Adirondack Backcountry Information, and Catskill Backcountry Information webpages for more information.   

If a person needs a Forest Ranger, whether it's for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they can call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region: http://on.ny.gov/NYSForestRangerRoster