For New York State Forest Rangers like Robert Dawson and his colleagues, 2020 was a record-breaking year for search and rescues. There were 43 in Greene County alone last year.

For any backcountry rescue, it can take 20 to 30 people to help carry out an injured hiker. The timing can vary depending on the distance and terrain.

“It is steep sloops involved, mountainous terrain, rocky terrains,” said Dawson, who covers Department of Environmental Conversation’s Region 4.

But a new piece of equipment has made their job a little easier.

It is called a wheeled litter carrier, the latest tool in DEC's arsenal. It has allowed rescuers to be more efficient when getting injured hikers out of the woods.

He says they got it and began training with it in 2018. It was first utilized for rescues in 2019, and he says it immediately showed its benefits during rescues on Windham Mountain and Kaaterskill Falls.

“With 12 rangers, we were able to get this individual out,” Dawson said. “If we didn’t have the litter wheel, you would be easily looking at 30 to 40 rescuers coming in to help carry this individual out.”

Last year, he says it was used four times on rescues. So far this year, it’s been utilized twice.

And it’s not just in the Catskills. Wheeled litters are also deployed in the Adirondacks and other parts of the state.

“One thing, once you have them on the litter wheel, you always have to have someone holding the patient up,” Dawson said.

While this equipment will always be available for rescues, forest rangers rather not have it come to this.

Dawson recommends hikers hitting the trails and mountains to be prepared with plenty of food, water and proper clothes to help cut down on the number of rescues.