Recent Statewide Forest Ranger Actions
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. 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 from across New York State.
In 2021, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 426 search and rescue missions, extinguished wildfires, participated in prescribed fires that served to rejuvenate hundreds of acres of land, and worked on cases that resulted in thousands of tickets or arrests.
Town of Alfred, Allegany County
Professional Course Instruction: On Aug. 1, Forest Rangers Krulish and Thaine taught the New York State Division of Criminal Justice (DCJS) Missing Persons Cases course at the Police Academy at Alfred State. Recent hires and aspiring police officers received training in state and federal laws about the reporting of missing persons. That training includes the preliminary investigation of missing persons cases involving subjects with special needs, when to issue appropriate missing persons alerts, and how Forest Rangers organize, manage, and assist agencies in wilderness searches.
