By Danielle Carr, Saranac Lake, NY
We briefly spoke in Newcomb when my friend’s body was airlifted from the Adirondack backcountry. The DEC Forest Rangers Week in Review dated July 2 stated Assistant Forest Ranger Brendan Jackson passed away while camping. I would like to add that AFR Jackson passed away in the backcountry at Duck Hole in the middle of his work week for the NYS DEC Ranger Division.
Assistant Forest Ranger Jackson often worked in remote areas with no cell service, but friends became worried about the length of his non-contact. On Saturday, June 14, around 10 p.m. I privately messaged three rangers we know in common to inquire about the safety and location of AFR Jackson who was last known to be at work. I called DEC Ray Brook Dispatch at 10:23 p.m. and inquired if AFR Jackson had been signing in and out of work. There was a pause, a place on hold, and a response that indicated they did not know and would pass my information on to his supervisor.
I received a personal phone call from one ranger I messaged at 11:03 p.m. confirming Jackson’s last contact with dispatch was Saturday, June 7 at 7:22 p.m. stating he was camped at Duck Hole.
It is my understanding that two rangers were briefed and dispatched in the early morning hours of Father’s Day. AFR Jackson’s body was found roughly before 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 15 at a campsite at Duck Hole, over a week after his last communication with DEC dispatch. When I arrived in Newcomb to meet the incident commander and many other Rangers, they asked if I could help verify AFR Jackson’s emergency contact information because they were “having trouble locating his personnel file.”
When AFR Jackson Signed Out Interior at dispatch, it meant he was still in the field and dispatch should expect a radio call the next morning when he resumed active duty. AFR Jackson did not call in to service on Sunday morning. He did not call out of service Sunday evening. He did not call in service Monday morning. He did not call out of service Monday evening, etc. Based on his regular work schedule, AFR Jackson was expected (and failed) to call dispatch 11 times before I tried to verify his location and wellbeing.
In a high-stakes law enforcement backcountry environment, how does DEC not know a staff member is missing? Or dead? For over a week.
The first grave consequence to this error is that his family and loved ones were not able to see his face one last time to say goodbye. If there were better protocols in place, his body would have been recovered in a timely manner. The second is that he has no known cause of death. His body was in such poor condition the initial forensic autopsy was inconclusive. Examining tissue samples may or may not lead to any resolution and may take six months or longer. This has caused his family and loved ones more harm at a difficult time. In addition, the two rangers who recovered AFR Jackson’s body had to deal with mushy flesh and fluids and smells that are haunting, exposing those rescuers to unnecessary trauma.
The DEC Forest Rangers Week in Review dated July 2 stated, “Brendan put the public’s safety above his own when responding to rescues, suppressing fires, patrolling trails, and helping maintain backcountry facilities.” I am asking you to please change the toxic administrative encouragement of abandoning the personal safety of our Rangers. It is general common knowledge among anyone who has taken CPR, first aid, lifeguarding, wilderness medical or rescue training that the first and most important rule is keeping yourself safe first as you assess the scene before responding.
I am sharing this letter to you because I would like the public to understand the DEC’s negligence in leaving AFR Jackson’s body to decompose, unaccounted for in the backcountry for several days knowing his last location during his work week. AFR Jackson cannot tell this story or advocate for change, and the DEC’s silence has added insult to injury for his loved ones. I’m not seeking restitution. Mistakes happen, even if you were warned about this exact potential outcome, and I would like to see a commitment for effective policy change. Based on my research of other dispatch policies, this was 100% preventable.
I am calling on you to act within your own agency to support the safety of all backcountry interior employees. After completing a needs assessment of qualified field professionals, I am calling on you to adopt policy changes that support Rangers and Interior Workers in the future to include but not limited to: Treat Dispatch as an emergency response system and provide resources for them to be effective. Adopt and utilize effective staff tracking software that will track the call log of rangers that cannot be manipulated, and will flag call out interiors for follow up regardless of shift changes, multiple searches, etc.
AFR Jackson claimed he was often referenced in dispatch emails related to the need for adopting new tracking software as his job included call out interiors regularly, but this software was not implemented. Adopt and utilize a call-in/check-in protocol with a mandatory call in and out times to include flagging active duty outside those hours and continued safety checks in extended check time blocks.
Develop a seasonal Assistant Forest Ranger program that utilizes AFRs primarily for public education and rescue prevention. Create a seasonal AFR Coordinator position that is responsible for communicating with the Rangers, assigning AFRs to specific areas of need and supervising AFRs throughout the season to lift the burden off the Rangers.
New seasonal DEC Assistant Forest Rangers complete one week of training before traveling to their assigned area for the season. AFRs are “supervised” by Rangers in addition to their normal duties that include multiple hours of overtime (think 18-30 hour long rescues) who often do not have the capacity to manage and develop new seasonal staff.
Provide Ranger Infrastructure and Rescue Resources. Often, as in the case with AFR Jackson’s body, Rangers deal with bodily fluids like blood or decaying body matter when they are involved in a rescue. Body fluids often permeate their clothing and gear, and Rangers often wash their clothes and gear at home. They report having to use personal gear to keep them safe on rescues.
Create a Rescue Resource Center equipped with standard issue gear, extra clothes, clothes washing machines, and gear repair and washing station so Rangers can debrief and transition to off duty status properly. Adopt a yearly gear budget for each ranger to replace safety gear.
We have collected over 3,500 signatures in the last two days to support policy change through the “Honor Brendan Jackson” petition on Change.org. I understand that you walked into this 100 days into your appointment and you did not create this oversight.
But as you have stepped into this role, I expect to hear from you, and communicate to the public, about the exact actions you have taken to prevent this tragedy from happening in the future.
Photo at the top: Assistant Forest Ranger Brendan Jackson (courtesy of Danielle Carr)
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Does the DEC use radios for rangers in the field? Seems not. I have no idea what it takes to create a network.
I volunteered for Rocky Mountain National Park last winter. While on a solo hike, dispatch checked in with me twice in one day.
It looks like they do have radios.
“When AFR Jackson Signed Out Interior at dispatch, it meant he was still in the field and dispatch should expect a radio call the next morning when he resumed active duty.”
Sad outcome. Maybe this will help make things better. Best we can hope for it this point.
I am never in the wilderness so I have never even met up with a Ranger but this event is not acceptable to me nor should it be for anyone else in this region.
This is indeed distressing information. Even the Army had the “buddy system”. I am indeed terribly sorry about the loss of Brendan. But this seems to be a huge gap in DEC policy regarding the backcountry safety of their employees/volunteers. I hope it is addressed immediately.
This is indeed very disturbing – the Rangers who patrol our Park and support the people and resources in it deserve better. The tone, clarity, and strength of this letter is a standard that anyone seeking advocacy with our government should strive for. I hope it is shared with the NYS Assembly and Senate members who represent the Park.
Brendan was an incredible human being. He was alumni of Paul Smith’s College. He was incredibly knowledgeable on the topic of Adirondack Lean-tos, having stayed in most if not all of them at least on one occasion. A true friend and steward of the Backcountry. The news of his tragic passing is shocking. I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Further investigation is needed in order to prevent tragedy like this from happening in the future.
Is there a link to the petition available to us, members of the concerned public?
https://www.change.org/p/honor-brendan-jackson-protect-nys-forest-rangers
Signed. I’m so sorry.
I signed the petition. Indeed this is an extremely distressing story, especially for his family who could not say goodbye or even know cause of death. DEC can do better. I like the new commissioner so far – hopefully she addresses all this.
how about the unnecessary haunting and trauma of the friends who called attention to the situation, searched and found him first?
I would also like a link. This is unacceptable.
Prayers for his family and friends.
I know that Forest Rangers have a difficult and dangerous job, but lack of a tracking device should not be one of them. How heavy is a satellite phone? I never considered the possibility that a Ranger could suffer a medical issue, an animal attack or other injury and be unable to call for help. It makes me so sad that this young man died helpless and alone.
It’s 21 century to the best of my recollection.
Radios are tricky to operate and may not be that reliable in Adirondacks.
When I hike solo I carry an inReach that sends my latest location to my wife and my son every 20 minutes.
So in case something terrible happens to me they will be able to notice that I have stopped moving and will be able to send SAR crew to an exact location.
Also sending a SOS message with inReach is much easier than with radio.
I was under impression that something similar should have been already implemented by DEC.
My condolences to family & friends. Duck Hole is tricky wit Cell service. Personal locater beacons (PLBs) should be used in particularly remote areas. This situation is so terrible! As a Backcountry hiker & paddler now and for 30years we all knew the dangers. (before cell phone). I do believe this should have gone another way but; we simply do not have all the facts. Moving forward the letter above hits many topics that should be discussed in detail. There are simply not enough DEC Rangers & Asst. Rangers. As a side note, many years ago at Lake Lila a group of 6 young adults drunk in one canoe at 2am crossing the Lake two girls screaming they can’t swim. No PFD’s onboard. My husband ran to the water, where I was able to call DEC for assistance. No one came out, the Asst. Rangers the next day came out and gave them a 5 day pass on the spot, even after she knew, the situation was dire and that it could have gone drastically bad for these two young girls screaming for hours waking everyone at Lake Lila!! They should have been told to LEAVE. Later the Ranger heard what the Asst, Ranger did and told all of us the situation was handled inappropriately and and they should have left. Additionally they left their fire blazing when they did leave! It was a nightmare!!