OLD TOWN, Maine — Every year, a specialized team of Maine Forest Rangers is called on to rescue injured hikers and climbers. To prepare for these calls, rangers train several times every month.
Rangers with Maine's Forest Protection Aviation Branch are often sent to the state’s most rugged terrain.
“We’ve got to get it right and we’ve got to get it right every time,” says Maine Forest Service, Regional Forest Ranger Jeffrey Currier.
When called on, Currier says his team can usually be on any scene within an hour.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m scared, but I have a concern for any flight request that we have," Forest Ranger Pilot, Lincoln Mazzei tells NEWS CENTER Maine. "It’s very fulfilling. You know that there’s an injured person in someplace that’s pretty inaccessible. That’s why we were called in the first place."
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Mazzei and other rangers are often sent to places a typical ambulance can't get to.
“Most of our missions, people are out recreating and someone is hiking up a trail in Baxter State Park, or on the Appalachian Trail, or at Acadia National Park, and they’ve had an injury,” Currier adds.
Last year, Maine Forest Service helicopters executed 22 search and rescue operations. This is higher than in past years, according to Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Communications Director Jim Britt. He believes it’s due to increased trail-use brought on by the pandemic.
Currier tells NEWS CENTER Maine Governor Janet Mills is expected to introduce a budget to replace the Maine Forest Ranger's aging helicopters from the 1960s.