New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. 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.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers.
Dutchess County
Breakneck Ridge State Park
Wilderness Search: On December 16th at 5:50 pm, Forest Ranger Pries responded to a call for a lost hiker at Breakneck Ridge State Park. With the assistance of the North Highland and Cold Spring fire departments, Ranger Pries located the hiker about an hour later. The 29-year-old from Chappaqua did not have a headlamp so he was unable to see the trail. Ranger Pries assisted the hiker through a steep and rocky area and both were out of the woods by 7:40 pm.
Suffolk County
Town of Brookhaven
Debris Fire: On December 21st at approximately 6:30 pm, Forest Ranger Hicks overheard a Suffolk County dispatch call for a debris fire in Yaphank in the town of Brookhaven. Ranger Hicks responded along with Brookhaven and Yaphank fire departments. The fire was caused by a homeowner dumping fireplace ash onto debris behind his home. The responders suppressed the 0.3 acre fire in approximately one hour and Ranger Hicks educated the homeowner about proper disposal to help prevent a fire from happening again.
BE PREPARED:
Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hike Smart NY,
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