With rapid conditions in that creek, it was perfect for their training. See exactly what they did.

Routine Exercises Happen All The Time

New York State Forest Rangers for the Department of Environmental Conservation always have to be on their toes. They also always need to refine their skills and learn on a constant basis. So a group of rangers headed to Herkimer County for some training.

Swift Water Technician Training

This is the program that 18 Forest Rangers from throughout the Empire State headed to Herkimer to learn. The DEC calls it an annual refresher to keep up on skills for a variety of situations.

In this training, they swam in hectic water, used techniques for crossing, and also performed tethered swimmer rescues.

Not 1st Time Forest Rangers Have Been In CNY In May

Earlier this month, rangers came to Oneida County in the town of Forestport to help contain a wildfire. Within hours of being on the scene, the Rangers helped contain the fire. It took another few days for the burn to finally extinguish. In total, 9 acres of land were affected by that wildfire.

The Burn Ban Has Expired

But wildfires while it was still in effect were prevalent in the last week. Forest Rangers in areas all over the state assisted in numerous wildfire containment efforts. From Saratoga County in the Capital Region to Delaware and Otsego Counties south of Central New York.

Training Happened Last Week To Help Them In These Situations

A fire suppression training exercise took place in Rotterdam, NY to teach proper ways to contain wildfires and understand how they spread.

More on any of these events can be read about here.