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 the backcountry.
In 2016, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 356 search and rescue missions, extinguished 185 wildfires that burned a total of 4,191 acres, and worked on cases that resulted in nearly 3,000 tickets or arrests.
“Across New York, DEC Forest Rangers are on the front lines helping people safely enjoy the great outdoors,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Their knowledge of first aid, land navigation, and technical rescue techniques is 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 Newcomb
Rescue: On Sept. 11 around 6:26 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker requesting assistance for a 58-year-old female member of their group who had fallen on a trail while descending Allen Mountain, sustaining a head injury. Two Forest Rangers responded, evaluated the subject, and assisted her to the trailhead. A waiting ambulance transported the subject to an area hospital for further medical treatment.
Hamilton County
Town of Indian Lake
Rescue: On Sept. 11 at 2:50 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Hamilton County 911 requesting Forest Ranger assistance for a 56-year-old woman who sustained an ankle injury while descending Blue Mountain. The subject was located approximately one mile from the trailhead, evaluated and assisted down the trail by two Rangers, NYSP, and Blue Mountain Fire Department personnel. She was then taken via ambulance to Saranac Lake AMC to receive further medical care.
Albany County
Town of Guilderland
Prescribed Fire: On Sept. 12, Forest Rangers assisted the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission conduct a 15-acre prescribed burn on the Chainsaw Unit off Willow Street in the city of Albany. This is the eighth prescribed burn Forest Rangers have conducted in the Albany Pine Bush this year, treating approximately 115 acres to help nurture vegetative growth in the fire-dependent ecosystem of the Preserve.
Saratoga County
Town of Clifton Park
Search: On Sept. 13 at 10:50 a.m., Forest Rangers received a call from Saratoga County 911 requesting assistance to locate a 61-year-old female in Clifton Park who was reported missing from her residence by her husband. Two Forest Rangers responded to the scene to assist searching the nearby wooded area. At 12:01 p.m., the female was found in the wooded area with minor injuries and transported to the hospital by the Clifton Park Ambulance Squad.
Lawrence County
Town of Piercefield
Rescue: On Sept. 13 at 11:55 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Franklin County 911 reporting a 62-year-old male hiker on Mount Arab with a knee injury. The hiker sustained the injury about 0.3 miles from the summit while descending the trail. Two Forest Rangers met with Tupper Lake Ambulance personnel and hiked in to meet up with the subject. After administering field aid and stabilizing the knee, Rangers helped the subject slowly descend on his own power. At 2:50 p.m., the hiker reached the trailhead where further medical treatment was refused.
Herkimer County
Town of Webb
Search: On Sept. 13 at approximately 11:55 a.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Herkimer County requesting assistance for a couple lost hiking in the Nick’s Lake area. Herkimer County was able to get cell phone coordinates for the subjects, which put them near Nelson Lake in the town of Webb. One Ranger responded with a NYSP Trooper. They located the subjects in good health and assisted the group to the trailhead.
Greene County
Town of Hunter
Rescue: On Sept. 16 at around 2:30 p.m., DEC Central Dispatch received a report of an injured hiker at Kaaterskill Falls. A 21-year-old male hiker had slipped, fallen, and sustained a head injury. An Assistant Forest Ranger, Forest Rangers, and local fire/rescue personnel responded and evaluated the subject. The hiker was able to hike out the half-mile trail under his own power with assistance from rescue personnel. During the hike out, the subject’s 21-year-old female companion twisted her ankle on the trail and had to be assisted the remainder of the hike to the trailhead. Both subjects decided to seek further medical treatment on their own.
Franklin County
Town of Harrietstown
Rescue: On Sept. 17 at 11:56 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch was advised by Franklin County 911 of a 75-year-old male who had fallen and sustained a head injury near the summit of Ampersand Mountain. Two Forest Rangers responded and met the group on the trail at 1:10 p.m. The subject was evaluated and brought out to the trailhead to a waiting ambulance that transported him to a local hospital for further medical care.
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 Backcountry Information (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7865.html) webpage for more information
