Public Outreach: On July 31, Forest Rangers Grillo and Kocher attended the Braveheart Girls in Emergency Services Academy hosted by Pleasant Valley Fire District. Forest Rangers spoke to nine girls, ages 12-16, about becoming a Forest Ranger, the gear and equipment they use, and the challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated field of emergency services. The program focuses on leadership development, and career exploration in emergency services while building confidence, teamwork, and resiliency. Throughout the two-day academy, participants trained alongside firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement officers, Forest Rangers, and other public safety professionals.

Braveheart Girls in Emergency Services Academy

Hamlet of Haines Falls, Greene County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 27 at 2:34 p.m., Greene County Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for the rescue of a hiker with an ankle injury on the Kaaterskill Falls trail. At 3 p.m., Assistant Forest Ranger (AFR) Zeleznik and Greene County EMS reached the 32-year-old from Schenectady. Paramedics splinted the ankle. Ranger Jackson and AFR Zeleznik packaged the patient in a wheeled litter. Along with Twin Cloves Technical Rope Team, they wheeled the patient to an awaiting UTV. Rangers transported the subject to the Laurel House parking lot. At 4:55 p.m., Windham Ambulance transported the patient to the hospital.

Town of Callicoon, Sullivan County
Water Recovery: On July 29 at 9 a.m., Sullivan County Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for the search for occupants of a vehicle submerged in the creek. A Ranger Swift Water Rescue Team already staged in Orange County responded with an inflatable boat. Seven Rangers assisted the Sullivan County Swift Water Rescue Team, Sullivan County Search and Rescue, the Callicoon, Hortonville, and North Branch Fire Departments, Delaware EMS, New York State Police, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Deputies, and Sullivan County Emergency Management. At 11:20 a.m., a Ranger crew located the 41-year-old from Livingston Manor deceased.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers condolences to the family.

Town of Elma, Erie County
Wilderness Recovery: On July 29 at 10:30 a.m., New York State Police (NYSP) requested Forest Ranger assistance for the search for a despondent subject. Police believed the 23-year-old from Ohio drove to New York with suicidal intentions. Police found the subject’s vehicle on Seneca Street and determined it was there for six days. Rangers, NYSP, and DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers set up search blocks where the subject’s phone was last pinged. At 2:15 p.m., a crew led by Ranger Leszczyk located the subject deceased.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers condolences to the family.

If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance, help is available. Call or text 988 for New York State’s free 24-hour hotline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Town of Beekman, Dutchess County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 31 at 3:45 p.m., Forest Ranger Pries responded to a call for an injured hiker on the Appalachian Trail west of Depot Hill Multiple Use Area. The 68-year-old from Hopewell Junction slipped down a steep rocky area of the trail and suffered bruises and a large gash to their leg. Ranger Pries was only half a mile away when the call came in and was able to reach the subject quickly to treat the injuries. Ranger Pries and the Beekman Fire Department Chief assisted the subject out of the woods. Ranger Cowart and other members of the fire department cleared downed trees to make the path more passable. At 5:15 p.m., they made it to the trailhead where an ambulance was waiting.

Village of Oriskany, Oneida County
Forest Ranger Academy: The Forest Ranger recruits at the 25^th Basic School for Forest Rangers recently completed week 20 of their basic training academy. After spending most of their time at the SUNY ESF Huntington Forest campus, they moved to the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. Among other training, they completed Squad Boss Firefighter training which included sand table exercises to look at different fire scenarios.

Academy sand table exercise

Academy recruits