RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           Ranger Activities Division Information Network

Day/Date:  Friday, September 18, 1992

Release:   0830 EDT

                          *** NOTICE ***

Flags which were lowered to half staff due to the deaths of Rep. Ted Weiss
of New York on Monday and Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina should be
raised to full staff this morning.

INCIDENTS

92-451 - South Florida Areas - Follow-up on Hurricane Andrew

The facilities and resource assessment teams plan on presenting their final
reports to the three park superintendents and to the regional director on
September 25th.  These reports will help the parks plan their come-back
efforts.  No other new developments have been reported.  

The incident commander has asked that the following information regarding
incident-related administrative leave be passed on to all areas that have
provided assistance in the hurricane relief effort: "Employees of the
National Park Service have provided much needed assistance to the south
Florida parks affected by the impact of Hurricane Andrew.  Most of the
outside resources sent in response to this emergency have worked 21 days,
with no days off during the incident.  It is appropriate to recognize those
employees who responded to the call for assistance by applying the existing
administrative leave policy in place for wildland fire assignments.  Please
refer to NPS-18, Section III, Exhibit 8, Personnel Work/Rest Guideline.  For
employees who have been assigned 14 days or longer to the incident, one day
of administrative leave should be granted by the home unit so that a full 24
hour rest period can be assured.  To the extent necessary to accomplish
critical park operations, backfill overtime to cover the administrative
leave day should be charged to the incident account."  

The ARM Team is also actively seeking to provide training opportunities on
this incident for those NPS employees who have already been selected for the
Service's overhead development program.  If you are one of those people and
would like to work in the recovery operation, please contact the Branch of
Fire and Aviation in Boise (208-334-9453) and leave your name, the overhead
position you will be training for, dates of availability and home and work
phone numbers.  

Contributions may be sent to Andrew Relief Fund, ENP&MA, Attention: George
Minnucci, 446 North Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428.  Checks should be made out
to ENP&MA with a notation that the contribution is for the relief fund. 
Director Ridenour has also determined that ENP&MA may also accept donations
from NPS concessioners.  Please note, however, that parks may not solicit
donations from concessioners or from visitors for the relief fund.

[Pat Tolle, Paul Broyles, Rick Gale, ARM Team; 9/18]

92-509 - Wrangell-St. Elias/ARO (Alaska) - Eruption of Mt. Spur

The eruption of Mt. Spur which occurred on the night of September 16th
spread an ash plume over Anchorage and Wrangell-St. Elias yesterday.  The
latter was closed in the morning, and the regional office was in the process
of shutting down when word was last received at midday yesterday.  [Jack
Morehead, RD/ARO, 9/17]

92-510 - Crater Lake (Oregon) - Falling Fatality

K.H., 23, of Gelsenkirchen, Germany, fell several hundred feet to
her death inside Crater Lake caldera below Rim Village on the afternoon of
September 16th.  K.H. and a friend were hiking below the rim in a
dangerous area which is closed to the public when she apparently lost her
footing on a steep, unstable slope.  She was found below some cliffs between
200 and 300 feet above the lake shore.  Rangers climbed to the site from the
lake later that afternoon, but were unable to safely recover her body during
the evening because of impending darkness and extremely steep and dangerous
terrain.  The park expected to complete recovery operations yesterday
morning.  The incident is still under investigation.  [Dan Jacob, CRLA,
9/17]

92-511 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Fatality; Accidental Shooting

Rangers were called to the campground at Katherine following an accidental
shooting incident on the evening of September 15th and found S.P.,
45, of Windover, Utah, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to the
abdomen.  A group of five men who were camping together were looking at a
replica of a .45 caliber, single-action Colt revolver which apparently
discharged as it was being passed to S.P..  The bullet struck him in the
lower abdomen and exited near his collar bone.  An investigation is being
conducted by the park and the Mohave County sheriff's office.  [Karen
Whitney, LAME, 9/17]

92-512 - Katmai (Alaska) - Illegal Hunting; Aircraft Accident

The chief of the Aleknagik tribal nation flew over Katmai in his
single-engine Cessna 170 early in September, shot a caribou in the park the same
day, and landed to pick up the kill.  As he taxied the Cessna to the kill
site, he damaged the propeller and had to call for assistance.  He was
subsequently contacted by state troopers.  When they questioned him about
his hunting activity, they found that he did not have a license.  He claimed
tribal sovereignty, and said that he didn't need a license because he does
not recognize either state or federal lands.  The troopers cited him and
seized his aircraft.  The troopers checked the Cessna, fixed numerous safety
problems, then flew the plane from King Salmon to Anchorage on the 17th. 
While over Lake Alumna, the engine stopped.  By luck, a Piper Cub was
nearby, saw the plane, and heard the distress call.  The disabled Cessna
landed without incident, and the Piper Cub followed it down.  No one was
injured.  The plane is being brought to Port Alsworth, where the state will
install a new engine in it and try to get it to Anchorage between eruptions
of Mt. Spur.  [Steve Shackleton, RLES, RAD/ARO, 9/17]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

One geographic area experiencing high fire danger.  Numerous Class A, B, and
C fires occurring and a potential exists for escapes to larger (project)
fires.  Minimal mobilization of resources from other geographic areas
occurring.  The potential exists for mobilizing additional resources from
other geographic areas. 

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area           Fire/Incident        9/17     9/18  Status

 FL    NPS     Everglades NP
               Biscayne NP      Hurr. Andrew - ARMT    N/A      N/A  ---
       FEMA    Dade County      Hurr. Andrew - T2      N/A      N/A  ---

 HI    FEMA    Honolulu         Hurr. Iniki - T1       N/A      N/A  ___

 OR    USFS    Fremont NF       Robinson Spg. - T1   3,900   10,741  NEC

 ID    BLM     Idaho Falls      Pocatello Crk.          NR      220  CND
       USFS    Targhee NF     * Pass                     -      150  CND

 NV    BLM     Battle Mtn.    * Bates Mountain           -      410  CND

Notes:

* - New fire/incident (this report) T1/T2 - Type 1 or Type 2 team committed
ARMT - All-risk management team     CN (date) - Expected date of containment
NEC - No estimate of containment    CND - Contained
NR - No report received            

3) FIRE ACTIVITY - 87 fires for 9,659 acres in past 24 hours.

4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity is occurring throughout the West.

5) PROGNOSIS - Many geographic areas have very high to extreme indices,
creating potentially explosive fire conditions if a fire should start.  No
resource shortages are anticipated.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/17]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

1) Major Jack Schamp, the law enforcement specialist for the NPS here in
Ranger Activities, has been selected as the new Deputy Chief, Commander,
Operations Division for the USPP and will EOD there in the near future.  

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Smith at NIBRS meeting, Seattle,
WA (9/14-9/18).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale and Broyles, ARM Team, Everglades and
Biscayne, FL (indefinite); Farrel at IAFC annual meeting, Anaheim, CA
(9/14-9/16) and ISC seminar and NFPA 1561 committee meeting, Phoenix, AZ
(9/16-9/19); Clark at fire behavior committee meeting, Reno NV (9/14-9/18).

Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone:  Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5572/5573 or 202-208-5572/5573

Telefax:    Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977

CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO-FIRE-WO

cc:Mail     Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
            Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation