- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, July 13, 1989
- Date: Thurs, 13 Jul 1989
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Thursday, July 13, 1989
INCIDENTS
89-179 - Yosemite - Drug and Weapons Arrest
At approximately 9 p.m. on July 11th, a frightened park visitor at Yosemite
Creek Campground, located four miles south of Tioga Pass Road, called the
Yosemite dispatch office via the park's 911 emergency line to report that a
man was shooting a semi-automatic handgun within the campground. She
reported that she had heard several strings of shots being fired from site
#62, that approximately 40 to 50 gunshots had come from this campsite over
several hours along with loud arguing between a man and a woman, and that
she had seen the man acting erratically, dancing wildly and shouting in the
campsite. Rangers responded, evacuated about 30 other campers, and sealed
off the area. By this time, darkness had fallen and the area around site
#62 was quiet, with no one visible. Rangers set up a containment perimeter
and began surveillance; they checked the registration of a vehicle at the
site, and found it belonged to 25-year-old T.C., III, of Sparks,
Nevada. The occupants of the tent were ordered to come out. T.C. and a
woman, later identified as 25-year-old J.T., also of Sparks,
exited and were detained by rangers. A search of the tent uncovered a
loaded semi-automatic 9 millimeter pistol with a round chambered and a
magazine bearing 17 more rounds, several other loaded and discharged
magazines, copious quantities of beer and tequila, and a leather pouch
containing several bundles of a white powdery substance believed to be
either cocaine or methamphetamines. Three buds of suspected marijuana were
also recovered from J.T.'s wallet. Both J.T. and T.C. have
denied ownership of the controlled substances. The two were arrested for
possession of controlled substances, and T.C. was also booked into the
Yosemite jail for possessing a loaded firearm within a park area and for
recklessly discharging a firearm in a park area. Their vehicle and their
dog, a pit bull, were impounded. Further investigation revealed that
warrants existed for T.C.'s arrest on a variety of traffic offenses in
California. (Roger Rudolph, CR, YOSE and Norm Hinson, Investigator, YOSE,
via CompuServe reports to RAD/WASO and RAD/WRO).
89-180 - Washington Monument - Double Shooting
Park Police officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the
wound of two men on the east slope of the Washington Monument during the
fireworks display on July 4th. The two men were shot with a small caliber
handgun by an unknown assailant who was part of a group of six to eight
youths engaging visitors in the area in verbal altercations. No arrests
have yet been made. (Dave Blackburn, LES, NCRO via CompuServe message to
RAD/WASO).
89-181 - Great Smokies - Aircraft Crash
A Cessna 172 piloted by 38-year-old P.H. of Dayton, Ohio, crashed
near the Appalachian Trail at Cold Spring Knob on the afternoon of the 11th.
A Boy Scout troop from Alexandria, Virginia, witnessed the crash; the
leader, an EMT, went to the scene of the accident, while the scouts returned
to Derrick Knob shelter and reported the incident to a park trail crew. The
victim suffered a separated shoulder, broken leg and head injuries. An Army
helicopter was employed to fly park medics to the Derrick Knob shelter.
Hughes was stabilized, carried to the shelter, then medevaced to the
University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he is in guarded condition.
During the evening of the 11th, the FAA in Dayton, Ohio, received an
anonymous phone call stating that there were drugs aboard P.H.'s aircraft.
The park is currently investigating that possibility. (Pete Hart, CR, GRSM,
via telefax from RAD/SERO).
89-182 - Glen Canyon - Near Drowning
On the evening of July 10th, four-year-old N.P. of Woods Cross,
Utah, fell into Lake Powell from his grandfather's houseboat while the boat
was beached between Bullfrog Marina and Stanton Creek. N.P. was
located on the bottom of the lake in about four feet of water. The family
began CPR and transported him to Bullfrog Clinic, where life support was
continued by rangers and personnel from Samaritan Health. Although
N.P. was in full cardiac arrest, his heart began beating on its own
while being transported to Page Hospital by helicopter. He was flown to
Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where he remains
comatose and in very critical condition. (Larry Clark, CR, BLCA, via
CompuServe message to RAD/RMRO and RAD/WASO).
FIRE ACTIVITY
The NIFCC situation report is not available this morning. The following
wildland fire situation report for the period from July 5th to the 10th was
prepared and submitted by Judi Zuckert, BFM/Boise:
- Fire Danger:
ARO Low
MAR Low
MWR Mod-High Extreme: Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
NCR Low
NAR Low
PNR High
RMR Mod-High Very High: Rocky Mountain, Dinosaur, Mesa
Verde, and Great Sand Dunes,
Colorado; Arches, Utah; Badlands,
South Dakota; Yellowstone, Wyoming.
Extreme: Bryce Canyon and Zion, Utah
SER Low-Mod
SWR Low-High Very High: Big Bend, Texas, and El Morro and
El Malpais, New Mexico
Extreme: Fort Davis and Guadalupe Mountains
Texas; Hub-bell, Navajo, Sunset
Crater, Wupatki and Canyon de
Chelly, Arizona; Aztec, Bandelier
and Salinas, New Mexico
WRO Low-High Very High: Hawaii Volcanoes, Hawaii; Joshua Tree,
Whiskeytown and Yosemite, California
Extreme: Chiricahua, Grand Canyon, and
Saguaro, Arizona; Lava Beds and
Pinnacles, California
- Wildfire Occurrence:
Region Park # Fires # Acres
Alaska Wrangell-St., Alaska 1 5
Yukon-Charley, Alaska 2 76
Rocky Mountain Mesa Verde, Colorado 2 2,361
Bryce Canyon, Utah 4 12
Glacier, Montana 2 1
Grand Teton, Wyoming 1 1
Zion, Utah 2 3
Dinosaur, Colorado 1 1
Southwest El Malpais, New Mexico 3 5,850
Carlsbad, New Mexico 1 1
Big Bend, Texas 2 153
Western Grand Canyon, Arizona 1 1,700
Sequoia/Kings, California 1 14
Saguaro, Arizona 1 9,200
Yosemite, California 2 4
Total 36 19,382
- Prescribed Natural Fire Occurrence:
No prescribed natural firs are being allowed, pending revision
and approval of area fire management plans.
- Prescribed Burn Occurrence:
Western Yosemite, California 1 carry-over 30
Big Cypress, Florida 2 1,010
Everglades, Florida 1 200
Total 4 1,240
- Fire Occurrence, Year-To-Date:
Fire Type # Fires # Acres
Wildfires 272 192,000
Natural Outs 34 1,348
Prescribed Natural Fires 0 0
Prescribed Burns 65 31,68
False Alarms 32 -—
Mutual Aid by NPS 66 7,959
Support Actions 86 -—
OFFICE NOTES
1) A recruitment/retention workshop will be held July 20th and 21st at
Independence NHP and will include representation from regional and park
personnel from NAR, MAR, NCR, MWR, and WASO. The purpose of the workshop
will be to discuss and propose several options for resolving recruitment and
retention problems in major urban areas for rangers, especially in law
enforcement. Options which may be considered will include alternative
organizations and recruitment sources, reclassification and special pay
rates. Participants are being asked to bring their most innovative ideas
and recommendations to resolve turnover problems, which we believe are being
caused by a shrinking labor market and pay disparity between the federal and
private sectors. If you are experiencing problems and/or have some
recommendations for solving them, we hope you will plan to attend. For
additional information, please contact Walt Dabney (FTS 343-4874) or Mario
Fraire (FTS 343-8093).
STAFF STATUS
Loach and Ringgold on AL; Halainen on SL; Hodapp on travel.
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: FTS 343-4874/6039 or 202-343-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 343-5977 or 202-343-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER