New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 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 the backcountry.

“Across New York, DEC’s Forest Rangers’ are on the front lines helping people safely enjoy the great outdoors,” said Acting DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Their knowledge of first aid, land navigation and technical rescue techniques are critical to the success of their missions which take them from remote wilderness areas, with rugged mountainous peaks to white-water rivers, and throughout our vast forested areas statewide.”

Recent missions carried out by DEC Forest Rangers include:

Essex County
Town of Keene
High Peaks Wilderness
Injured Hiker: On February 28, 2015 at 4:30 p.m., Essex County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from a caller requesting assistance for an injured hiker on Porter Mountain in Keene. A 36-year-old man from the Bronx, NY sustained a lower leg injury after slipping on icy trail conditions and falling ten feet.  The injured man was approximately 0.8 miles from Marcy Field. Five DEC Forest Rangers responded. Rangers reached the hiker at 5:30 p.m.  He was belayed down icy sections of the trail and assisted to the trailhead.  A member of his hiking party transported him to Elizabethtown Community Hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 7:30 p.m.

Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hiking Safety (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28708.html) and Adirondack Trail Information (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7865.html) webpage for more information.