- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, May 27, 1993
- Date: Thurs, 27 May 1993
RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Thursday, May 27, 1993
Broadcast: By 0830 ET
INCIDENTS
93-247 - Haleakala (Hawaii) - Follow-up on Employee Injury
Mike Gerrity is still in intensive care at Queen's Medical Center, but is no
longer in the trauma unit. Although he remains in a coma, it is not as deep
as before, and he began waking up last Friday. He's able to open one eye,
has attempted to talk, and appears to recognize his wife, Ronnie. His
doctors say that he could be up in two weeks or two months - it's still a
waiting game, but the overall situation is looking better. Mike's family
flew back to Gunnison, Colorado, on Monday. Ronnie looked into flying Mike
to a hospital in that area; it would cost $80,000 to transfer him as a
patient, though, so he will stay in Honolulu until he can ride as a regular
passenger. Ronnie expects that she can afford to return to Hawaii only once
more, and is tentatively planning to return to Honolulu at the end of June.
The "Mike Gerrity Aloha Fund" is currently being set up. Details will
appear in a future morning report. Curecanti will handle the fund on behalf
of both parks. Mike has also been designated as a leave donation recipient.
The outpouring of concern from all over the country has touched both the
family and the staff at Haleakala. [Karen Ardoin, HALE, 5/26]
93-285 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Search and Rescue
R.A., 47, and his son K., eight, were found in good
condition at the 11,100-foot elevation of the park on May 23rd following an
extended search for them. The two were cross-country skiing with downhill
skis and were carrying only a single canteen of water. They'd completed
only the first third of their intended journey. Five search teams and air
units were employed in the search effort, which was hampered by bad weather.
[Pete Allen, SEKI, 5/26]
93-286 - Booker T. Washington (Virginia) - Larceny
On the morning of May 25th, a park maintenance worker discovered a generator
missing from the park's equipment storage shed. He reported the missing
item to the maintenance foreman, who then took inventory and noted that the
following items were missing - a Snowthrower snowblower, a roto-tiller, an
eight-horse-power gas generator, a 16-horse-power Gravely riding mower, and
four sides of salt-cured ham used for park demonstrations. Entry to the
park and maintenance areas was gained by cutting padlocks off the road
gates. Entry to the storage area was apparently gained through an
unfinished portion of the chain-link equipment storage enclosure. Some
evidence was collected, and the park will be working closely with the county
sheriff on the investigation. The total value of the stolen items was
placed at well over $5,000. [Lewis Rogers, CR, BOWA, 5/26]
93-287 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon (California) - Drowning
A 17-year-old boy drowned when he jumped into the Kaweah River as part of a
school "ditch day" on May 24th. His body was located by the park helicopter
and recovered by ranger Eric Morey with the assistance of members of local
agencies. The park's rivers are especially hazardous at present because of
the exceptionally heavy winter snow fall and resulting melt. [CRO, SEKI,
5/26]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 5/26 5/27 Status
AZ USFS Gila Whiskey 700 700 CN 5/27
NM USFS Lincoln Sheep 102 102 CND
State - * Lavade - 3,500 CND
TX State Jeff Davis Cty Donahoe 21,000 38,912 CND
FL State - Turkey Point 8,500 8,500 CND
NOTES:
- Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report). T1 and T2
indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
- Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
NR - No report received MS - Modified suppression strategy
CL - Controlled MN - Being monitored
CS - Confinement strategy NEC - No estimate of containment
CN (date) - Expected date CND - Contained
of containment
3) PARK FIRE REPORTS -
* Guadalupe Mountains (Texas) - The Texas Division of Forestry established a
staging area within the park at Pine Springs late Sunday night and early
Monday morning because of the extreme fire danger in all of west Texas and
the numerous fire starts recorded on Sunday in five west Texas counties.
Resources staged at Pine Springs include one hotshot crew, a strike team of
engines, three strike team leaders, and state staging overhead. The park is
cooperating with the state in setting up the area. [Jan Wobbenhorst, CR,
GUMO]
4) ANALYSIS - Initial attack activity continues in Florida and the
Southwest. High to extreme indices and thunderstorms persist, but relative
humidities increased across the northern portions of the area yesterday.
Initial attack activity in southern California has diminished due to the
influence of coastal weather conditions.
5) PROGNOSIS - A red flag watch for wind remains in effect for northwest
Arizona. Initial attack activity should continue in the Southwest because
of forecasted afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Initial attack activity
is also expected in Florida; high pressure with little convective motion has
been forecast for the area, and high to extreme fire danger persists. Night
and morning fog and low clouds will continue to minimize initial attack
activity in southern California.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530, 5/27]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
NOTES
1) San Juan NHS has found several file cabinets full of old park brochures
from sites throughout the system dating back as far as 1939. If you'd like
missing brochures from your park for your archives (and San Juan has them),
the park will be happy to exchange them for your current folder. [J.
Schafler, CR, SAJU]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Dickerhoof at regional LES
conference (5/24-5/27); Martin on AL (5/28-6/6).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at National Wildfire Coordinating Group
(NWCG) meeting (5/25-5/28); Erskine at MAC group steering committee meeting
(5/24-5/26); Broyles at NWCG safety and health working team meetings (5/22-
5/29); Gale on AL (5/22-5/26); Farrel at NFPA and NWCG meetings (5/22-5/29);
Cook on IHC detail (5/25-10/15); Berg at meeting (5/24-5/28).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-4874
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5572
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-6756
Branch of F&A (WASO) - 202-208-5977
cc:Mail: Branch of R&VP - WASO Ranger Activities
Branch of F&A (WASO) - WASO Fire and Aviation
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY (numeric message) - 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843
SkyTalk: Emergencies ONLY (voice message) - 1-800-759-8255, PIN 2404843