RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

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

Day/Date:  Monday, September 28, 1992

Release:   0830 EDT

                          *** NOTICE ***

Flags at all National Park Service areas which were lowered to half-staff in
tribute to past Director William Penn Mott, Jr. are to be returned to full
staff this morning.

INCIDENTS

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

The following significant developments were reported over the weekend by the
ARM team working in Biscayne, Big Cypress and Everglades:

* Repairs to the utility system and power lines at Biscayne are underway,
  a roof has been installed on the generator building, and crews are
  constructing a boat repair building.
* Roof repair is beginning on quarters at Flamingo and new pumps are being
  installed at the Flamingo sewage treatment plant.
* Utilities have been hooked up on trailer units at the Beard Center.
  Boardwalks are being constructed between the units.
* Employee property being stored at the missile site has been put on pallets
  to help with air flow ventilation.
* Army engineers are continuing removal of storm damage and exotic 
  vegetation from campground areas.
* Navy Sea-Bee construction personnel are working on the leach field at
  Shark Valley.
* Repair and reconstruction of park quarters at Tamiami is continuing.

A fax number has been established specifically for those of you who would
like to communicate with employees in the three parks.  If you have a note
to send, address it to the individual care of the all-risk team and telefax
it to 1-800-525-3037.  

Although monetary donations are still preferred to material contributions,
those of you with packages to send to an employee in one of the affected
parks should send it to the person care of the all-risk team and ship it to
Oasis Ranger Station, Big Cypress NP, 53553 East Tamiami Trail, Highway 41,
Ochopee, FL 33943.  According to the Conference of National Park Cooperating
Associations, books are being sought for the environmental education center
at Biscayne.  You can help by sending books dealing with marine resources,
islands, birds and/or environmental stories to the Biscayne Environmental
Education Project, care of the above address.  

Contributions to the relief effort may be sent to Andrew Relief Fund,
ENP&MA, Attention: George Minnucci, 446 North Lane, Conshohocken, PA 19428;
they should be made out to ENP&MA with a notation that the contribution is
for the relief fund.  [Bill Adams, ARM Team; CNPCA; 9/29-9/30]

92-521 - Assateague Island (Maryland/Virginia) - Follow-up on Tropical Storm

Tropical Storm Danielle passed over the park late on Friday, but caused
little damage.  The park began moving people out of campgrounds that
afternoon and closed entrances at 6 p.m.  Highest winds, which were recorded
near 10:30 p.m., were about 65 mph.  Much of the southern end of the park
was overwashed by the ocean.  ORV markers along the beach were lost, park
roads and lots were covered with sand, and dunes that were being stabilized
on the north end of the Virginia district were significantly eroded.  There
was no damage to facilities.  The park reopened at noon on Saturday.  [Brion
Fitzgerald, CR, ASIS, 9/28]

92-527 - Fort Caroline (Florida) - Storm Damage

High winds, heavy rain and higher than normal tides associated with an off-shore
storm (not Danielle) led to the closure of the fort model area in the
park late on Friday morning.  The are was closed because of structural
damage was inflicted on the fort model's moat and concerns about resource
damage to the model and grounds caused by visitor use.  The area will likely
be closed until repairs can be made early this week.  A living history
encampment scheduled for the weekend was also canceled.  [Craig Sheldon, CR,
FOCA/TIMU, 9/25]

92-528 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - MVA; Fatality and Injuries

On September 24th, rangers responded to a single vehicle accident near Giant
Forest village; upon arrival, they found three people trapped inside the
vehicle on the front seat and two more lying outside.  Of these five, all of
whom were concession employees, four were critically injured and three
needed to be mechanically extracted from the vehicle.  The driver, D.D.,
was admitted in a hospital in Visalia with pneumothorax,
broken ribs and a fracture of the zygoma.  G.H., also a front-seat
passenger, died shortly after paramedics arrived, apparently from acute
intra-abdominal bleeding.  A third passenger was admitted to the hospital
with a broken back, and the fourth with a flail rib.  All occupants of the
vehicle were intoxicated.  The driver's BAC was 0.16 four hours after the
accident.  Although the speed limit in the area was posted at 25 mph, the
vehicle's speed at the time of the accident has been conservatively
estimated at 65 mph.  The vehicle hit a rock wall, scraped along it for 100
feet, swerved across the road, went over an embankment and became airborne
for 40 feet, then hit a large pine tree.  The case has been referred to the
U.S. attorney for prosecution.  [Carl Christensen, RAD/WRO, 9/25]

92-529 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - MVA with Multiple Injuries

A two vehicle, head-on collision which occurred on East Rim Drive on
September 10th injured seven people, three of them seriously.  Ranger-paramedics,
a nurse from Grand Canyon Clinic, and NPS I-EMTs and EMTs
stabilized and transported the victims, one of whom was trapped in a vehicle
for an hour and a half before being extricated.  Five of the injured were
taken to the clinic, and the remaining two were flown directly to the
Flagstaff Medical Center by two helicopters.  The accident is under
investigation.  [Dispatch, GRCA, 9/22]

92-530 - Lava Beds (California) - Poaching

During a patrol operation being conducted jointly by the park, California
Fish and Game and U.S. Fish and Wildlife on the night of September 19th,
rangers stopped a van running without lights which contained four armed
males and an illegally killed deer.  The four were charged by the state with
illegal possession of game, hunting without a license or deer tags, hunting
after hours, and hunting with an illegal weapon (a .22 caliber automatic
rifle).  To date, the joint effort has resulted in the confiscation of five
weapons and numerous citations.  [Terry Harris, CR, LABE, 9/23]

FIRE ACTIVITY

1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level II

2) FIRE SUMMARY

State  Agency     Area           Fire/Incident        9/25     9/28  Status

 FL    NPS     South Florida    Hurr. Andrew - ARMT    N/A      N/A  DM

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

 WA    State   Wenatchee      * Castle Rock Heights      -      800  CND

 CA    CDF     Butte RU       * Burton                   -    6,000  CND
                              * Villa                    -    6,300  CND
       State   Santa Barbara  * Happy                    -    2,200  CND

 MT    BLM     Miles City       Blank - T2           8,000    8,165  CND

Notes:

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

3) FIRE ACTIVITY - 79 fires for 263 acres in the past 24 hours.

4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity is continuing in California and the
Northwest.

5) PROGNOSIS - Fire activity is slowing down due to the onset of fall
weather patterns.

[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 9/28]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: Brady at meeting in Denver, CO (9/28-9/30).

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Sisto on AL (9/28-9/30);
Berkowitz on AL (9/28-10/9).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Gale and Broyles, ARM Team, Everglades and
Biscayne, FL (indefinite).

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