DEC Contact: Jeff Wernick (518) 402-8000 February 08, 2022
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DEC FOREST RANGERS – WEEK IN REVIEWRecent Statewide Forest Ranger Actions |
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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 2021, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 426 search and rescue missions, extinguished wildfires, participated in prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate hundreds of acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in thousands of tickets or arrests. Some of these incidents featured each week result in injuries, property damage, or even death, and starting this year, the “DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Highlights” is transitioning to a new title, “Forest Rangers - Week In Review.”
"Over the last decade, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic, DEC saw an uptick in people visiting State lands to experience New York’s abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “DEC’s Forest Rangers are on the front lines to help visitors get outside responsibly and get home safely, as well as to protect our state’s irreplaceable natural resources. Rangers' knowledge of first aid, land navigation, and technical rescue techniques are critical to the success of their missions, which for more than a century have taken them from remote wilderness areas with rugged mountain peaks, to white water rivers, and throughout our vast forests statewide." Town of Old Forge Rangers attend New York State Snowmobile Law Enforcement Development School (photo attached)
Washington County Snowmobile Accident: On Feb. 3 at 7:18 a.m., Washington County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance with a snowmobile accident near Lapland Pond in Dresden. Forest Rangers Pouton and St. Claire responded. The 38-year-old snowmobiler from Putnam had suffered a broken pelvis. Rangers assisted with first aid, packaged the subject in a rescue toboggan, and pulled him by snowmobile to the trailhead at 11 a.m. The subject was transferred to a Dresden Ambulance and taken to the hospital. Resources were clear at 11:18 a.m. Towns of Webb, Florence, and Forestport Rangers conduct snowmobile speed enforcement (photo attached)
Town of Long Lake Hamilton County Snowmobile Accident: On Feb. 5 at 2 p.m., Essex County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance for a snowmobile accident on the Moonshine Pond Trail near Mohegan Lake. Forest Rangers Balerno and Milano responded. The 43-year-old snowmobiler from Ohio had lost control, rolled, and crashed into a tree. At 2:50 p.m., Long Lake Fire and EMS reached the subject, provided care, and packaged her in their Trak vehicle and rescue toboggan. The subject was taken by ambulance to a hospital for head and wrist injuries. Ranger Milano helped the rest of the snowmobiling party out of the woods safely. Resources were clear at 3:25 p.m. Stewart State Forest
Town of Middlebury
Ranger Thaine performs snowmobile safety check (photo attached)
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: https://www.dec.ny.gov/about/667.html |
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