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 2023, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 370 search and rescue missions, extinguished 146 wildfires covering nearly 1,400 acres, participated in 52 prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate more than 1,000 acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in hundreds of tickets and arrests.  

“DEC Forest Rangers are among the nation’s most versatile first responders, utilizing their expert training and wide-ranging knowledge to protect natural resources while encouraging responsible stewardship among those who visit State lands and sites,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Their expertise in wildland fire suppression, technical rescue techniques, and law enforcement mean that Rangers are always prepared to successfully execute critical missions, here in New York State, as well as across the continent.” 

Town of Greenwich 

Washington County 

Wildfire: On March 18 at 2:45 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call for Forest Ranger assistance for a wildland fire on Lick Springs Road. The fire had started in a garage and spread into the woods. By 4:20 p.m., Rangers contained the fire to half an acre. 

Town of Islip 

Suffolk County 

Wildfire: On March 21 at 2:15 p.m., Forest Ranger Hicks responded to a brush fire on the Sunrise Highway Service Road. Ranger Hicks, working with local fire departments, got the .4-acre fire under control within the hour. While patrolling the fire the next day, Ranger Hicks located a subject with a bright orange bed roll looking for a place to sleep. Ranger Hicks interviewed the subject who admitted he was burning garbage and started the fire for warmth. Ranger Hicks educated the subject about the dangers of starting fires in the wilderness, especially during the spring brush burning ban. 

Towns of Brookhaven and Riverhead 

Suffolk County 

Prescribed Fires: On March 20 and 22, Forest Rangers joined staff and volunteers from DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests and the Central Pine Barrens Commission to conduct prescribed fires to burn more than 20 acres in the Otis Pike Pine Barrens State Forest and Peconic River Headwaters Natural Resource Management Area. These controlled burns help make the forest more resilient to the invasive southern pine beetle and help reduce fuel loads to better prevent wildfires that could impact public safety in nearby communities. 

Prescribed fire at Peconic River Headwaters Natural Resource Management Area (photo attached)

Town of Milan 

Dutchess County 

Prescribed Fire: On March 22, Forest Rangers joined staff and volunteers from DEC’s Divisions of Fish and Wildlife, Lands and Forests, and Operations, and staff from the Albany Pine Bush to conduct a prescribed fire at Lafayetteville Multiple Use Area. They burned approximately 57 acres of grasslands. Video of the burn is available to download at 

https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/fs/programs/press/ForestRangers/Lafayetteville%20Burn%20for%20Press.mp4 

Learn more about prescribed fire season on DEC’s website: https://dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2024/3/dec-announces-start-of-prescribed-fire-season  

Prescribed burn at Lafayetteville Multiple Use Area (three photos attached)

Town of Florida 

Montgomery County 

Training: On March 22, Forest Ranger Scott led swift water rescue training for 10 Rangers on Schoharie Creek. The Rangers practiced techniques including throw bags, kayaking, and swimming. 

Swift water rescue training on Schoharie Creek (two photos attached)

Town of Brookhaven 

Suffolk County 

Law Enforcement: On March 22 at 5:43 p.m., Forest Ranger Hicks responded to a complaint of illegal tree cutting on Rocky Point State Pine Barrens Preserve. Ranger Hicks found 11 children between the ages of 14 and 16 cutting and piling small trees and limbs to build a fort. Ranger Hicks explained why this activity is illegal, educated the the teens on the proper use of State land, and removed the fort. 

Illegal tree cutting (photo attached)

Town of North Elba 

Essex County  

Wilderness Rescue: On March 22 at 9:45 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a woman reporting her 33-year-old son from New York City was overdue from hiking Mount Marcy and Gray and Skylight mountains. At 10:28 p.m., Forest Ranger Mecus located the subject’s vehicle at Adirondak Loj. Rangers Adams and Duchene attempted to retrace the subject’s itinerary, going up and over Mount Marcy and down to Four Corners. At 4:25 a.m., Ranger Mecus completed searching the trail and campsites to Lake Colden Outpost, before heading up to climb to Four Corners with Colden Caretaker Raudonis. Ranger Evans served as Incident Commander at the Adirondak Loj. Due to the urgency of the snowstorm potentially hiding footprints or other clues to the hiker’s location, 15 Rangers were sent out early in the morning. Ranger crews were sent in from Elk Lake, Upper Works, the Garden Trailhead, and a larger team from the Adirondak Loj, to perform a grid search on the Mount Marcy summit cone. At 8 a.m., Ranger Mecus’ search crew located a single set of boot tracks near the Feldspar lean-to. The crew followed the tracks up the Lake Arnold trail to where the tracks lost the trail and started following the north branch of the Opalescent Brook on the northwest face of Mount Marcy. At 10:10 a.m., they found the subject at 4,000 feet in elevation, with his clothes frozen to his body. Rangers used a patient care kit to change the hiker’s wet clothing, feed him, and provide warm liquids before walking him to the trailhead where they were met by Lake Placid EMS at 3:25 p.m. EMS took the subject to the hospital for treatment of hypothermia and frostbite. Resources were clear at 5:07 p.m. 

Faded boot prints that led Rangers to the Mount Marcy hiker (photo attached)

Mount Marcy rescue (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: http://on.ny.gov/NYSForestRangerRoster