Nearly two years afer a 19-year-old New Haven man died of hypothermia after becoming lost while hiking in Ripton, public safety officials have appointed a veteran of Stowe Mountain Rescue to coordinate future search and rescue missions.
Neil Van Dyke was named the state’s search-and-rescue coordinator on Friday by the Department of Public Safety. According to a news release, Van Dyke will assist in maintaining and updating a statewide inventory of search and rescue resources; will develop search-and-rescue training for volunteer and first response organizations; and will help identify equipment and training needs for the Vermont State Police Search and Rescue Team.
The appointment comes 22 months after Levi Duclos died in January 2012 while hiking the Emily Proctor Trail in Ripton. The incident, in which state police did not begin a search for Duclos until the morning after he was reported missing, sparked a debate among public safety officials and lawmakers about how to avoid such tragedies.
Van Dyke, a founding member of Stowe Mountain Rescue who has participated in hundreds of rescue operations, was part of a committee formed to find answers.
“Neil’s previous experience makes him perfectly suited to coordinating Vermont’s search and rescue efforts,” said Commissioner Keith Flynn about Van Dyke’s recent decision to accept the position. “We believe this step forward in creating a unified approach to managing search and rescue operations in Vermont will result in the efficient and successful resolution to incidents involving lost and injured individuals.”
Van Dyke will assume the job Dec. 2.
