- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, July 14, 1994
- Date: Thurs, 14 Jul 1994
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, July 14, 1994
Broadcast: By 0930 ET
*** NOTICE ***
Flags lowered to half staff in tribute to the firefighters who died in
Colorado last week will REMAIN at half staff through today in remembrance of
the helicopter pilot and two crew members who were killed on July 12th while
fighting a fire in the Gila National Forest in Arizona. If that period is
extended beyond today, an advisory will appear in the Friday morning report.
INCIDENTS
93-349 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Follow-up on Homicide
On Friday, July 8th, R.C. of St. Louis was found guilty of murder
in the first degree in the killing of Alice Knop during a robbery in the
Arch parking garage last August. The trial lasted four days, but it took
the jury less than an hour to return the guilty verdict. Sentencing is
scheduled for September 23rd, and R.C. is expected to receive life in prison
without parole. The two other participants have pled guilty to second
degree murder charges and testified against R.C. during the trial. The
murder was jointly investigated by park criminal investigator John Weddle
and members of the St. Louis police department's homicide unit. Edward
Dowd, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, personally
took charge of this case and presented the government's closing arguments.
[Deryl Stone, CR, JEFF, 7/11]
94-361 - Southeast Region Parks - Follow-up on Tropical Storm Alberto
Tropical Storm Alberto has dropped 21 inches of rain on the area in which
Andersonville and Jimmy Carter NHS are located. Three hundred modern graves
and 110 gravestones have sunk in the national cemetery at Andersonville, and
two bridges within the prison site have been temporarily closed because
their footings have been washed away. The Ag Building at Jimmy Carter,
which is used for a maintenance shop, has been flooded, and several pieces
of equipment have been damaged. Both parks are officially open. No
employees have had major damaged to their homes or belongings. [CRO, ANDE,
7/12]
94-378 - Lake Mead (Nevada/Arizona) - Boating Accident; Two Fatalities
Two persons were killed and a third seriously injured in a boat accident in
the park on Sunday, July 10th. The boat was being operated at a high rate
of speed when it crashed into rocks along the shoreline as the operator was
returning to Callville Bay through Boulder Canyon. Killed were S.J.,
39, the boat's operator, and R.J., 47, both of Las Vegas.
A 16-year-old male who was also a passenger in the boat was taken to
Callville Bay by boat, then flown to a hospital, where he remains in serious
condition. The accident is under investigation. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/11]
94-379 - Lake Mead (Nevada/Arizona) - Boating Accident; Two Drownings
P.L., 42, and A.T., 54, both of Las Vegas, drowned on the
evening of June 29th when their 15-foot, open-bow boat capsized northeast of
Fish Island at the mouth of the Virgin River. The other six passengers in
the boat - five adults and a two-year-old child - were rescued by park
visitors. Rangers received a report of the accident about 45 minutes after
it occurred and responded along with an Air Force rescue helicopter and a
Flight for Life helicopter. Divers searched for the victims that night and
the following morning, but were unable to locate them. They were found on
July 1st when the park pilot spotted them from the air. Two adults and the
child were taken to a city hospital and are listed in stable condition.
Three others were checked at the scene and found to be uninjured. Only the
child was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. An
investigation is underway. [Bud Inman, LAME, 7/11]
94-380 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Employee Injury; Successful SAR
On the afternoon of July 8th, ranger Regina Carrico was struck on the top of
the head and knocked temporarily unconscious by a fluorescent light fixture
which pulled loose and swung down from the ceiling of the Fayette County
sheriff's office. Carrico was taken to a local hospital, where she was
admitted and kept overnight for observation, then released. Carrico
returned to duty on the 10th and drove a park vehicle from the Thurmond area
to the Burnwood ranger station, a distance of about 22 miles. At Burnwood,
she apparently became disoriented and forgot the purpose of her trip. She
left the vehicle unlocked with keys in the ignition and building keys on the
seat, walked down a trail for about a quarter mile, then sat down under a
rock overhang about 100 feet from the trail and fell asleep. Other rangers
discovered that she was missing around 3 p.m. and began a search. Search
dogs and a West Virginia state police helicopter were employed in the
effort. Carrico was found unharmed and uninjured just after 8 p.m. by
ground searchers when she responded to their calling her name. Doctors
subsequently concluded that she was suffering from a form of amnesia; until
the morning of July 12th, she was unable to recall her own name or recognize
any of her friends or relatives. She's presently a patient at Charleston
Area Medical Center in Charleston, West Virginia. Tests conducted on the
11th revealed bruising of the brain. Except for memory loss and other
possible problems from the blow to her head, Carrico is in physically good
condition. The prognosis at this time is uncertain. [Rick Brown, DR,
Canyon District, NERI, 7/12]
94-381 - North Cascades (Washington) - Employee Injury
On the evening of July 6th, Wilderness District SCA volunteer Shelly Gorton
reported by radio that she had just weathered a thousand-foot uncontrolled
glissade down Copper Ridge which had culminated when she struck some brush
and rocks. Gorton said that her injuries were limited to bruises on a leg
and foot. Preparations were being made for a ranger to hike in to her
location the next day when she called to report that she was feeling worse,
with symptoms that included a headache, dizziness, chills and chest pain
upon deep inhalation. A Navy helicopter from Whidby NAS with a ranger on
board flew to Gorton's location and evacuated her to Skagit Valley Hospital,
where she was treated and later released. [Pete Cowan, Acting CR, NOCA,
7/11]
94-382 - Statue of Liberty (New York) - Assault on Ranger
While conducting surveillance in plain clothes on the afternoon of July 8th,
rangers Jeff Hancock and Shelly Lewis contacted R.W., 39, of
Jackson, New Jersey, and Charles Turco, 37, of Houston, Texas, who were
smoking marijuana. When the rangers identified themselves, R.W. threw
the cigarette away, then struck Hancock when he attempted to pick it up.
R.W. was arrested and charged with assault on a federal officer.
Turco, who cooperated with rangers, received citations for possession and
delivery of a controlled substance and was released. Hancock sustained only
minor injuries. [CRO, STLI, 7/11]
94-383 - Whiskeytown (California) - Attempted Assault; Disorderly Conduct
Rangers at Whiskeytown had to employ CapStun to subdue four men who
attempted to assault them while actively resisting arrest on July 9th.
Although the pepper spray did not affect them as intended, it did make it
possible for the rangers to take them to the ground and arrest them for
resisting arrest and assault. [Larry Carr, CR, WHIS, 7/11]
94-384 - Olympic (Washington) - Resource Violation
On the night of July 6th, rangers in the Lake Crescent area of the park
picked up a signal from an electronic surveillance device that they'd left
on a large cache of illegally picked moss that they'd found along a park
road. Upon arrival at the scene, they found a pickup truck along the road
and eventually contacted three Spanish-speaking men who were attempting to
leave the area in the truck. None of the three men were able to provide any
identification. They were taken to the Forks police department, where an
interpreter assisted in questioning them. Two of the males claimed to be
juveniles; all were issued citations for traffic violations, removal of
natural products, and commercial use of natural products. The pickup was
seized as evidence along with two knives and 24 bags of moss with a
wholesale value of $300 to $400 and a retail value of about $4,800. [Kym
Hunter, OLYM, 7/11]
94-385 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - MVA with Injuries; Rescue
On July 4th, a 40-year-old woman was heading westbound into the park near
Desert View when her attention was momentarily diverted by one of her three
children and she drover her car over an embankment. The vehicle rolled over
several times and landed with the driver partially ejected and trapped
beneath the car. None of the three children, all under the age of eight,
was wearing a seatbelt, but none suffered significant injuries; all three
were able to get out of the vehicle on their own. The first ranger on scene
was Chris Mengel. With the assistance of several visitors, he employed car
jacks, cribbing and a come-along to lift the vehicle off the woman - actions
that resulted in the saving of her life. She was stabilized by ranger
paramedics, then medevaced by the park's helicopter to Flagstaff Medical
Center, where she is in fair condition with a closed head injury and blunt
chest trauma. [Sherrie Collins, DR, South Rim District, GRCA, 7/11]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - III
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/13 7/14 Status
CO USFS Grand Mesa -
Uncompahgre NF North Fork - T1 200 512 CN 7/15
Arapaho -
Roosevelt NF Larimer Complex - T1 863 365 NEC
White River NF * Ute Creek - 2,000 NEC
BLM Grand Jct. Dis. 2-Road - T2 500 3,625 CND
Craig Dis. Box D 650 700 CN 7/14
* Blue Gravel - 1,400 CN 7/14
Montrose Dis. * Wray - 1,000 NEC
AZ USFS Prescott NF Juniper 1,800 1,800 CN 7/12
Coronado NF Rattlesnake - T1 13,570 17,025 NEC
State - Redington
Complex - T2 14,814 17,507 NEC
* Sunset - 212 NEC
NM USFS Cibola NF Big Rocks
Complex - T2 7,015 7,015 CN 7/15
Gila NF Pigeon - 6,250 CN 7/15
TX NPS Big Bend NP Estufa 2,500 2,500 CN 7/15
ID BLM Idaho Fall Dis. Merkley 2,500 2,500 CND
UT BLM SL City Dis. * Black Mountain - 130 CN 7/13
OR BLM Prineville Dis. Smith Canyon 9,600 10,400 CND
* Horsehaven - 3,000 CN 7/13
China Hat 4,000 3,800 CND
State - Spence - T2 810 1,005 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 - Containment strategy NEC - No estimate of containment
CND - Contained CN/CS (date) - Expected date of containment
3) FIRES YESTERDAY -
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 4 ? 25 2 96 44 185
Acres Burned 2,768 123 3,773 1 3,548 5,818 16,031
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 123 39 93 6 810
Non-federal 50 70 9 0 178
5) CURRENT SITUATION - Initial attack activity continues to increase in the
Rockies; extreme fire behavior continues to affect fires in the Southwest.
6) OUTLOOK - Scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms will occur over
Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, with isolated thunderstorms over eastern
Utah, northeast Nevada and southwest Montana. Most of the remainder of the
West will be sunny with highs in the 80s and 90s; the exception will be the
Southwestern states, where temperatures will be between the 90s and 110.
Initial attack activity is expected in most of the West. Large fires will
continue to resist control.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/14]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
MEMORANDA
No memoranda.
COMING EVENTS CALENDAR
The Coming Events calendar appears in the morning report every other
Thursday. If you know of a significant event of Servicewide interest,
please forward the listing to WASO Ranger Activities. Entries are listed no
earlier than FOUR months before the event. Asterisks indicate new entries;
brackets at end of entry indicate source of information:
7/14-17 -- Oregon Trail Days, Scotts Bluff, Gering, NE. A weekend of
events, including concerts, parades and family sports events.
7/17-22 -- 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Recapture of Guam, War in
the Pacific NHP, Guam. Ceremonies will include dedications of
the new Asan Bay Overlook (Memorial) on July 19th and the
Liberator's Memorial at Asan Point on July 21st. Other
activities include a parade, fireworks, 50-day carnival,
cultural demonstrations, military hardware shows, an air
demonstration, ship demonstrations, and tours and memorial
ceremonies for the 3rd Marines, 77th Army, 1st Provisional
Marines, 9th Brigade of the 3rd Marines, 25th SeaBees, Coast
Guard, 7th Air Force and the U.S. Navy. Dignitaries will
include the commandant of the Marine Corps, military commanders
of Pacific forces, governors and members of the House and
Senate. Many events are in the park. Event management has been
delegated to the Western Region Incident Management Team under
Bryan Swift. Contact: WAPA, 671-472-7240 or FTS 700-550-7240.
7/23-24 -- Northern Plains Indian Culture Fest, Knife River Indian
Villages, Stanton, ND. The event will encompass a wide range of
activities exemplifying the Northern Plains tribes that
frequented the Knife River area from several thousand years ago
to the present. Contact: KNRI, 701-745-3309.
8/6 -- American Camp Lantern Tour, San Juan Island, WA. An 1860s U.S.
Army encampment is the setting for an evening guided walk and
drama presented by park staff and volunteer reenactors.
Contact: SAJH, 206-378-2240.
8/6 * -- "Order In The Court", Ninety Six, SC. Colonial courtroom drama
presentation in which actual judicial procedures from the 18th
century are reenacted. Contact: Eric Williams, NISI, 803-543-
4068.
8/6-7 * -- Hooverfest, Herbert Hoover, West Branch, IA. Annual
commemoration of birth of Herbert Hoover. Features
entertainment in chautauqua tent, old-fashioned craft
demonstrations, concert and fireworks. This year's event will
focus on the Civil War. Conducted in cooperation with Hoover
Presidential Library. Contact: Candy Madsen, 319-643-2541.
8/10 -- 133rd Anniversary, Battle of Wilson's Creek, Wilson's Creek,
Republic, MO. Traditional programs and guest speakers.
Contact: WICR.
8/13-14 -- Rendezvous Days, Grand Portage, MN. A combination of activities
on park grounds and a traditional pow-wow on adjacent lands.
Events include historic voyageur contests, voyageur encampment
exhibit, voyageur canoe race, musket firing demonstrations,
voyageur pack race, and tomahawk and knife throw. Contact:
GRPO.
8/20-21 -- Archeology Day, Hopewell Culture, Chillicothe, OH.
Demonstrations of various Eastern Woodland Indian crafts and
identification of Indian artifacts by professional
archeologists. Contact: HOCU.
8/25 -- Celebration of 78th Anniversary of the National Park Service,
Officers Club, Bolling AFB, Washington, DC. The event will also
honor the almost 500 "buyout" employees who retired in early
May. All employees, alumni and friends of the NPS are welcome
to attend the reception, buffet and program, which begins at 6
p.m. Cost: $27 per person. Reservations and checks should be
sent to E&AA (78th), PO Box 1490, Falls Church, VA 22041. Make
checks out to E&AA. Contact: Terry Wood, 202-208-4481 or 703-
931-5608. [Terry Wood, E&AA]
9/10-11 -- Anniversary of Battle of Lake Erie, Perry's Victory, Put-in-Bay,
OH. Special events and 1812 military enactments. Contact:
PEVI.
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax: 202-208-6756
cc:Mail: WASO Ranger Activities
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843