Village of Warsaw
Wyoming County
Wilderness Rescue:
On April 8 at 11:23 p.m., NYSP in Batavia contacted DEC's Central Dispatch requesting assistance in locating a missing 13-year-old boy in the village of Warsaw. The boy was playing with friends near his home when he went missing. Forest Ranger Lt. Tim Flanigan responded to the scene to conduct interviews and assist with the search. Forest Ranger John Kennedy also responded and conducted drone flights while the Warsaw Police Department, Wyoming County Sheriff's Office, friends, family, and volunteers searched the area. On April 9 at 5:45 a.m., Warsaw Police Officer Nick Wright located the boy and transported him back home where he was evaluated by Warsaw Ambulance and turned over to his parents. Ranger Kennedy interviewed the boy and discovered that at approximately 7 p.m., he was playing tag with his two brothers and a friend in a wooded area near his residence when the group ran ahead without him. He could not catch up with the others and became disoriented. After walking for some time, he saw lights and started heading in that direction. He came out of the woods at a nearby hardware center and sat on a bench. Officer Wright spotted the boy there and helped him to return home. Rangers were cleared of the scene at 8 a.m.
Statewide
New York State Covid-19 Response: DEC personnel from across agency divisions and regions statewide continue to support the State's response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Personnel from more than 20 New York State agencies are working on response efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. DEC Forest Rangers' expertise in the Incident Command System (ICS) and experience in applying ICS to wide area searches and large wildland fire have made them a key part of this statewide effort.
Several DEC Forest Rangers are part of the New York State Incident Management Team, or IMT, an interagency team comprised of personnel from various state, county, and local agencies who represent a variety of disciplines. The IMT assists Incident Command personnel and emergency managers in ensuring a prompt, efficient, and organized response to complex incidents.
