Forest Ranger Actions from March 9 to March 15, 2020
Statewide
Ban on Brush Burning: With
spring approaching, DEC reminds residents that the statewide ban prohibiting
residential brush burning begins March 16, and runs through May 14. Conditions
for wildfires are heightened in springtime when most wildfires occur.
Every spring as the snow melts and vegetation dries out, New
York’s partnering local responders all too often have to leave their jobs and
families to respond to wildfires caused by illegal spring debris fires. DEC
Forest Rangers respond to and assist local agencies with the larger and more
remote fires. Complying with the burn ban prevents unnecessary burdens on and
dangers to state resources and local responders, especially during the ongoing
COVID-19 public health crisis.
For more details, go to DEC’s
website.
Town of Kent
Putnam County
Wildfire: On the
afternoon of March 9, Forest Rangers responded to a wildfire in the town of
Kent. The fire was caused by debris burning and scorched 28 acres on private
land. Rangers took appropriate enforcement action and issued the homeowner
three tickets.
Town of Fishkill
Dutchess County
Wildfire: On March
9, a wildfire started along the Metro-North Railroad line. The fire destroyed
or damaged several vehicles parked at a hiking trailhead. The fire, which was
spotted over the roadway, sparked flames in the Beacon Mountain/Breakneck Ridge
area of Hudson Highlands State Park. Forest Rangers, New York State Park
personnel, and numerous other local fire departments and emergency responders
mobilized to fight the blaze. Steep rocky terrain made suppression difficult.
The fire burned 277 acres before it was contained.
Town of Hunter
Greene County
Wilderness Rescue: On March 9
at 4:38 p.m., DEC’s Central Dispatch received a call reporting a 73-year-old
female hiker from West Park with a head and leg injury while hiking on the
trail between Twin and Sugarloaf mountains. A group of five hikers from the
3500 Club began their hike at approximately 9 a.m. at Mink Hollow and proceeded
to the plateau summit; four hikers then continued on Devil’s Path over
Sugarloaf Mountain. On the eastern descent near Pecoy Notch, the woman slipped
on ice and fell. While two people hiked out to call for help, the woman and her
husband continued down the Pecoy Notch trail. Forest Ranger Rob Dawson
proceeded in at the Roaring Kill trailhead with rescue gear and located the
woman at 6:30 p.m., approximately 1.3 miles from the trailhead. Ranger Dawson
provided medical care and determined the woman had a stable right leg injury
and right shoulder pain. While the woman was assisted further down the trail,
Forest Rangers Jason Seeley, Katie Fox, Stephen Ellis, and Christine Nelson
proceeded in with a Stokes litter. The woman continued walking out until
approximately 0.75 miles from the trailhead and could not continue from there.
She was packaged into the litter and a wheel was attached. Rangers Steven
Jackson and John Gullen arrived to assist with the carryout and wheeled the
woman out to Roaring Kill Road at 9:30 p.m. She declined further treatment,
saying she would follow up with a doctor the next day.
Town of Austerlitz
Columbia County
Wilderness Rescue: On March
9, a 61-year-old female hiker from East Chatham was hiking to the top of Harvey
Mountain when she slipped and suffered an ankle injury and was unable to hike
back down the mountain. Forest Rangers John Gullen and Steven Jackson and
volunteers from the Austerlitz, Spencertown, and Canaan fire departments
responded to the scene to assist the injured hiker. Emergency personnel
splinted the hiker’s ankle and placed her on a litter to be carried 0.25 miles
to a staged vehicle where she was driven down the mountain to the trailhead and
transported to a local hospital.
Town of Hunter
Greene County
Wilderness Rescue: On March
10, at approximately 8 p.m., 10 Forest Rangers were dispatched to the Devil’s
Path for an injured male hiker that was 2.5 miles from the Spruceton trailhead.
A hiking party reported that one of the hikers could no longer walk due to
dehydration, mild hypothermia, and severe cramping. Rangers hiked into their
location where they warmed, hydrated, and fed the group. Two of the hikers were
able to hike back out to the trailhead with assistance but the third hiker was
unable to continue. Forest Rangers hydro-wrapped the 26-year-old man from
Brooklyn, and placed him into a SKED stretcher before carrying him down the
mountain. The Lexington Fire Department met Rangers at a trail intersection and
transported the injured hiker the remaining mile to the trailhead using a UTV.
The Ashland Ambulance took the hiker to a local hospital for treatment. Rangers
were clear from the woods at 8:30 a.m. the following morning.
Town of Keene
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On March
12 at 2:30 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a group of ice
climbers on the North Face of Gothics. They reported a 52-year-old man from
West Point had sustained a lower leg injury and was unable to hike out. The
group continued to repel down the mountain to meet Forest Rangers in the basin,
a location where New York State Police Aviation could hoist the subject out if
needed. Eight Forest Rangers responded to their location and at 3:50 p.m.,
Forest Ranger Ben Baldwin was inserted by helicopter to the base of the slide.
Shortly thereafter, he made contact with the climbers and monitored them as
they repelled down to him. Once Forest Ranger Baldwin was with the injured man,
he evaluated the injury, braced it, and prepared him for an emergency hoist. At
5:34 p.m., the climber was in the helicopter with Forest Ranger James Giglinto
and brought to a local hospital in Saranac Lake for further medical treatment.
Forest Rangers hiked out with the remaining climbing party back to the Garden
Trailhead and were cleared of the scene.
Town of Theresa
Jefferson County
Wilderness Rescue: On March
15 at 9:03 a.m., Forest Ranger Howard Thomes advised DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch
of a search request from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for a missing
28-year-old woman last seen at her home at 7 a.m. Sheriff’s deputies responded
with a K9 unit along with seven Forest Rangers, a State Police/UAS drone
operator, State Police K9 unit, three Environmental Conservation Police
Officers, and an Environmental Conservation Police Officer Lieutenant. State Trooper
Mick Mason spotted the woman on the opposite side of Hyde Lake at 11:55 a.m.,
and the sighting was confirmed by Trooper Bender via drone. The woman was
located by Forest Ranger Aimee Bills at 12:50 p.m., walking between camps. She
was transported by Indian River Ambulance to a local hospital for observation
due to dehydration caused by underlying health problems.
Town of North Hudson
Essex County
Wilderness Rescue: On March
15, at 6:07 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a concerned friend
about a lost hiker in the Dix Wilderness Area. The hiker could not make a phone
call but texted coordinates to advise she was lost. The coordinates were on the
eastern side of Macomb Mountain, approximately three miles east of Elk Lake.
Responding Forest Rangers approached from Elk Lake and the West Mill Brook
drainage, while another Forest Ranger assisted on the eastern side, relaying
crew information to Ray Brook. At 8:02 p.m., direct text contact was
established with the hiker, who stated she was in an emergency foil tent but
having difficulties due to wet and frozen socks and losing the Lillian Brook
trail, and was unable to locate the main Dix trail. To confirm the location,
Verizon pinged the last known cell location, which was approximately 12 miles
southwest of their tower on Belfry Mountain. The hiker was located by Rangers
at 2:55 a.m., in a different area than the original coordinates. She was fed,
rehydrated, and rewarmed in a sleeping bag. Four additional Forest Rangers were
en route as a ground crew for extracting the hiker and Lt. Brian Dubay
requested New York State Police Aviation for assistance. On March 16 at 8:17
a.m., the 25-year-old hiker from Glens Falls was put in the helicopter piloted
by State Police Pilot Scott Kotronis who, with Forest Ranger Crew Chief Chris
DiCintio, took her to a local hospital for further medical treatment.
