DEC Forest Rangers – Week in Review
Recent Statewide Forest Ranger Actions
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.”
Greene County
Public Outreach: On Oct. 14 and 15, Smokey Bear wrapped up National Fire Prevention Week with a busy weekend of events. On Oct. 14, Smokey and Forest Ranger Martin attended the Big Indian-Oliverea Fire Department’s pancake breakfast. Smokey met members of the department and the Ladies Auxiliary to thank them for everything they do to help prevent wildfires in the Catskill Forest Preserve. Later that day, Smokey, Captain Gierloff, and Rangers Franceschina and Martin attended the Belleayre Fall Festival. At the Festival, Rangers spoke about their job duties and how the public can help prevent wildfires. Smokey Bear rode the Catskill Thunder Gondola to the top of the mountain.
On Oct. 15, Rangers Franceschina and Martin attended an end-of-year gathering for the Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower volunteers. Smokey and Rangers thanked the volunteers for their efforts to educate the public about fire safety.
Ranger Martin and Smokey Bear in Catskill Thunder gondola
Smokey Bear at Big Indian-Oliverea Fire Department
Smokey Bear and Ranger Martin at Balsam Lake Mountain
City of Oneonta
Otsego County
Public Outreach: On Oct. 14, Forest Ranger Laymon joined Smokey Bear at “Touch a Truck.” At the annual event, children check out vehicles from different first responders. New York State Police, the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office, and local EMS and volunteer fire departments also participated.
Ranger Laymon and Smokey Bear at Touch a Truck
Touch a Truck in Oneonta
Town of Keene
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 17 at 1:10 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call about a hiker with a possible broken ankle near Chapel Pond. Five Forest Rangers responded. The first Rangers reached the 60-year-old from the state of Florida at 1:48 p.m. Rangers splinted the subject’s ankle and helped him back to the trailhead. The subject declined further medical care. Resources were clear at 2:18 p.m.
Town of Stony Creek
Warren County
Wilderness Search: On Oct. 18 at 9:10 p.m., Forest Rangers responded to a report of an overdue hunter. The subject was last seen at 4 p.m. at a hunting club in Stony Creek. Rangers searched overnight. At sunrise, nine Rangers joined the search and at 9 a.m., Ranger Nahor located the 58-year-old from Pleasant Valley in good health. The hunter had gotten lost behind the club the evening prior, hiked along a drainage in the morning, and ended up approximately one mile from the road.
Village of Little Valley
Cattaraugus County
Training: On Oct. 19, Forest Rangers Hettenbaugh and Sprague conducted a regional rope rescue training session at Rock City State Forest. At the training, eight Rangers and their Lieutenant reviewed general rope rescue safety, personal rigging, anchors, and dual capability two tension rope systems for raising and lowering an injured subject.
Ranger Streczywilk at rope rescue training
Rangers Sprague and Hettenbaugh check the rigging
Town of Elizabethtown
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On Oct. 19 at 6:41 p.m., Forest Ranger Lieutenant Booth and Rangers Bode, Martin, and Quinn responded to a call for a hiker with a knee injury near the summit of Hurricane Mountain. At 7:45 p.m., Ranger Quinn reached the 52-year-old from Rotterdam Junction, splinted the hiker’s injury, and provided crutches. When the Rangers reached the subject’s vehicle, he declined further medical attention. Resources were clear at 10 p.m.
Town of Webb
Herkimer County
Wilderness Search: On Oct. 21 at 9:19 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance in the search for an overdue hunter in the Pepperbox Wilderness. The hunter had mobility issues and his ATV was still at his camp. Rangers Lee and Maxwell searched through the night. At 3 a.m., Rangers located the hunter’s tracks, which led them to a spruce swamp where they found the 62-year-old from Ilion at 6:20 a.m. The missing hunter was suffering from mild hypothermia due to the cold temperatures and heavy rain. Rangers warmed the subject and transported him back to his camp at 9 a.m.
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. Applications are due by Oct. 25. For information about other DEC openings, go to DEC’s List of Job Vacancies webpage.
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.
