DEC: 2 rescues in Greene County only days apart
Each week the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) releases the “Forest Rangers Week in Review.” For the week of Oct. 13-20, Forest Rangers in Greene County rescued two people at Huckleberry Point and on the Escarpment Trail near Boulder Rock, both in the Kaaterskill Wild Forest.
HUNTER, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- Each week the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) releases the “Forest Rangers Week in Review.” For the week of Oct. 13-20, Forest Rangers in Greene County rescued two people at Huckleberry Point and on the Escarpment Trail near Boulder Rock, both in the Kaaterskill Wild Forest.
According to the DEC, Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every Ranger listed by region.
On Oct. 16, around 5:05 p.m., Greene County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance at Huckleberry Point. The call stated a hiker had suffered an ankle injury.
Rangers Joseph Bink and Erich Horn responded alongside the Tannersville Fire Department and Hunter police and ambulance. When they reached the 35-year-old hiker, the two rangers splinted her ankle, and she was taken by UTV to the trailhead entrance.
The hiker decided to seek medical attention on her own after emergency services left. Resources for this call were clear about two hours later at 7:25 p.m.
Four days later on Sunday, Oct. 20, rangers were called again to the Kaaterskill Wild Forest for an injured hiker. Around 3:15 p.m., Ranger Robert Dawson responded to a hiker with a finger injury after falling 15 feet from a slope on the Escarpment Trail.
According to the DEC, the 30-year-old hiker planned a hike near North-South Lake when he followed the wrong path and ended up on steep slopes with loose soil and slippery leaves. Dawson splinted the hiker's finger and assisted him back to the trail where they were met by Ranger John Gullen.
The hiker was guided back to the trailhead and declined further medical treatment. Resources were clear at 5:30 p.m.
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.
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