Phoenicia Fire District Commissioner Michael J. Ryan suffered cardiac arrest while assisting with an injured hiker call

PHOENICIA, N.Y. — A Hudson Valley firefighter died while responding to a rescue call involving an injured hiker.

Phoenicia Fire District crews were dispatched to the Town of Shandaken for a report of an injured hiker on Dec. 13, WPDH reported. Firefighters entered the trail and traveled approximately half a mile into a wooded area to locate the hiker.

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While operating in the wooded area, Firefighter and Fire District Commissioner Michael J. Ryan suffered a medical emergency and went into cardiac arrest.

Firefighters immediately began life-saving measures and were assisted by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers, the Shandaken Police Department and Shandaken EMS. Crews worked together in difficult terrain as they attempted to resuscitate him, but despite those efforts, Ryan died.

Ryan also served in law enforcement, working as a training officer with the Ulster Police Department since 2020 after a more than 20-year career with the Kingston Police Department, according to Ulster police.

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