The Peru Gazette

Multi-agency Swift Water Training – Warren and Oneida Counties
On two separate weekends in April, ECOs participated in multi-agency swift water training exercises.

From April 14-16, ECOs on the Flood Incident Response Strike Team participated in mobilization training on the Schroon and Hudson Rivers in Warren County. The multi-agency training, hosted by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), focused on swift water swimming, throw bag use, rope skills, inflatable boat operation, and animal rescue techniques. Additionally, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team was deployed at various locations during the training and tasked with testing remote area connectivity to the command post and monitoring the safety of the participants. This training is a valuable tool for increasing team preparedness and improving inter-agency operability for future flooding incidents and swift water rescue situations. New York State Police, Forest Rangers, and New York State Park Police also participated in the training. Aerial footage of the training can be viewed on YouTube.

On April 22 and 23, seven ECOs on the Flood Incident Response Strike Team participated in in-service training at the Swift Water Flood Training facility at the State Preparedness Center in Oriskany, also hosted by DHSES. In addition to swimming, wading, and rope skills, the team-based exercises focused on breaching techniques, Search & Rescue Common Operating Platform (SARCOP) utilization, and structure-marking systems. Other participating teams included the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit, Montgomery Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Team, and Monroe County Special Operations Task Force.

Trout Stocking – Sullivan and Franklin Counties
On April 15, ECOs in Sullivan County, a world-renowned trout fishing destination, assisted staff from the DEC Catskill State Fish Hatchery with stocking brown trout in Willowemoc Creek. The group began in the Hamlet of Roscoe and distributed approximately 3,470 brown trout, including yearling and two-year-old fish, across multiple sections of the creek.

Willowemoc Creek is one of the Catskill region’s most celebrated trout streams, drawing anglers from across New York State and beyond.

More than 200 miles away in Franklin County, ECOs Garrand and Okonuk joined DEC Fisheries staff and volunteers from the Malone Fish and Game Club to stock nearly 2,000 trout in the Little Salmon River in northern Franklin County, also a premier trout fishing destination in New York.

Trout season opened in New York State on April 1, but stocking continues statewide as DEC works to provide fresh opportunities for anglers to enjoy quality fishing.

Anglers are reminded that a valid New York State fishing license is required. For more details on trout season, visit the DEC website.