- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, July 25, 1994
- Date: Mon, 25 Jul 1994
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, July 25, 1994
Broadcast: By 0930 ET
INCIDENTS
94-413 - Great Smokies (North Carolina/Tennessee) - Search
Ten-year-old P.R. became separated from his father while in the
park on Tuesday, July 19th, and subsequently became lost. A full-scale
search for P.R. was begun which employed ground searchers, several
Tennessee Army Air National Guard helicopters, and an Army helicopter from
Fort Campbell equipped with infrared detection equipment. Signs of the boy
were found in the Goshen Prong drainage and the Huggins drainage on the
22nd, and he was found walking in the latter area about two miles west of
Clingman's Dome early that afternoon. P.R. was in good spirits and
physically unharmed despite spending three days and nights alone and without
food or water. He was later reunited with members of his extended family at
Clingman's Dome. A large media contingent witnessed and reported on the
event. [Jason Houck, CR, GRSM, 7/22]
94-414 - Ross Lake/North Cascades (Washington) - Employee Injury
Seasonal law enforcement ranger Rory Racine was injured on the evening of
July 22nd while assisting with a disabled vehicle on the North Cascades
Highway. Racine had parked off the road and was calling for a wrecker when
his patrol car was hit from behind by a car traveling at a high rate of
speed. The patrol car was totalled, and Racine and the driver of the latter
vehicle both received multiple injuries. A passing motorist followed
Racine's instructions and employed the patrol car's radio to report the
accident to the park dispatcher. An EMT stopped at the scene shortly
thereafter and provided medical assistance until rangers and state highway
patrol officers arrived at the scene. Racine was taken to a local hospital,
where he was treated for injuries to his head, back and one leg. He was
released early the next morning. Racine has worked five seasons in Ross
Lake NRA within the North Cascades complex. [CRO, NOCA, 7/22]
94-415 - Great Falls (Virginia) - Probable Drowning
On July 22nd, J.W., 24, fell into the Potomac River just above the
area known as the Virginia Chute or the Spout. J.W. and his wife, T.,
who were married last Saturday, were scrambling on the rocks near the
water's edge when J.W. slipped and fell directly into the river. A Fairfax
County fire and rescue company was in the park and about to begin a training
exercise with their boat when they heard T.W. scream. They responded
immediately, as did park staff. A full scale search and rescue effort was
initiated which employed rangers from both Great Falls and C&O Canal, Park
Police officers, and members of other local agencies. Attempts to find him
proved fruitless, however, and he is presumed to have drowned. [Jane
Anderson, Site Manager, GRFA, 7/23]
94-416 - Chiricahua (Arizona) - Multiple Lightning-Caused Injuries
On the afternoon of July 20th, four brothers hiking near the Heart of Rocks
area suffered lightning strike injuries. Bi.D., 40, apparently
suffered a direct hit; younger brothers Bo.D., D.D. and T.D. were knocked to the
ground and suffered assorted minor injuries. Bo.D., who is a doctor,
began CPR on Bi.D. and obtained a pulse within five to ten minutes. T.D.
returned to the trial head, a distance of about three miles, and flagged
down a visitor, who took him to the park's visitor center. Park staff
responded on foot, and two Forest Service helicopters from the Rattlesnake
Fire on the adjacent Coronado National Forest flew to the scene. A state
police helicopter also responded. A landing zone was cleared and Bi.D.
was flown to a waiting ambulance, then taken to a hospital. At the
time of the report, he was in guarded condition. D.D. was able to
walk out on his own. [Carol Kruse, Superintendent, CHIR, 7/21]
94-417 - Buffalo (Missouri) - Possible Homicide
J.G. appeared at the Marion County sheriff's office on the afternoon
of July 19th and reported that his wife, L.M., had drowned while they
were camped along the Buffalo River in the lower wilderness area earlier
that day. J.G. said that he found his wife missing when he woke up that
morning, that he found her clothes on the river bank, and that he
subsequently discovered her body in shallow water a short distance
downstream. J.G. reported that he then retrieved her body, wrapped it in
plastic and a tarp, paddled down river to his car, and drove 50 miles to the
sheriff's office to report her death. The body was sent to the state
medical examiner's office for an autopsy. Park and state investigators
returned to the scene on that afternoon and began an investigation. Later
that day, information was received from a number of the victim's friends in
their hometown of Wichita, Kansas, indicating that the couple had been
having marital problems, that J.G. had allegedly abused his wife in the
past, and that L.M. was planning to leave him. State homicide investigators
will be travelling to Kansas to continue the investigation. NPS
investigators will be assisting. [Bob Howard, BUFF, 7/21]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - III
The preparedness level has gone up one step. Preparedness Level III goes
into effect when the following conditions are met: Two or more geographic
areas experiencing incidents requiring a major commitment of national
resources. High number of fires becoming Class D and larger. Additional
resources are being ordered and mobilized through NICC. Type 1 teams are
committed in two or more areas, or 300 crews are committed nationally.
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/22 7/25 Status
NM USFS Gila NF Pigeon 6,250 6,250 CN 7/22
CA USFS Klamath NF Dillon Complex - T1 - 3,223 NEC
Shasta-Trin. NF * Trinity Complex - 143 CND
Six Rivers NF * Blue/Salmon - 412 CN 7/26
BLM Susanville Dis. * Table - 1,500 CND
OR USFS Deschutes NF Four Corners 300 1,425 CND
Rogue River NF * Applegate - 175 CND
Siskiyou NF * Mendenhall - T1 - 680 NEC
BLM Burns Dis. * Red Point - 4,000 CN 7/25
NV BLM Elko Dis. * Goose Creek - T2 - 10,000 CN 7/30
* Rain Fire - T1 - 10,000 NEC
Las Vegas Dis. * Mormon - 1,800 CND
Winemucca Dis. * Chimney - 400 CND
* Buttermilk - 150 NEC
State - * Tabor Creek - 200 CN 7/24
USFS Humboldt NF * Big Table - T2 - 3,000 NEC
UT State - * Bullock - 1,000 CN 7/26
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 NEC - No estimate of containment
CND - Contained CN/CS (date) - Expected date of containment
3) FIRE HIGHLIGHTS -
* Two Type II teams have been assigned to Colville NF, one to Wenatchee NF,
one to the Yakima Agency, and one to Idaho Panhandle NF. Some of these
teams are managing several initial attack fires within complexes, but very
little information is yet available.
* Goose Creek Fire, Elko District - Acreage increased from 4,000 to 10,000
acres yesterday due to wind shifts and erratic fire behavior.
* Rain Fire, Elko District - The fire grew from 5,000 to 10,000 acres in one
hour yesterday due to high winds from a thunderstorm cell. Firefighters
were moved to safe areas, and no injuries were reported.
4) FIRES YESTERDAY -
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 4 23 59 0 56 443 585
Acres Burned 0 14 23,865 0 2,502 9,319 35,700
5) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 179 234 78 38 1,511
Non-federal 99 85 22 4 493
6) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1994 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires 53,383 43,442
Acres Burned 1,702,783 1,402,950
7) SITUATION - There was a good deal of lightning in Nevada, Oregon,
Washington, Idaho and Montana yesterday, and initial attack activity in
those areas increased significantly. NICC mobilized crews, overhead,
aircraft, equipment and supplies to those areas. Very high to extreme
indices are being reported on most units in the West. Erratic fire behavior
appears to the be the norm on many fires.
8) OUTLOOK - A red flag watch has been posted for dry lightning in eastern
Washington. Widely scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms are
forecast for most of the interior West. Hot and dry conditions will
continue throughout the West except in western Oregon and Washington. Fire
activity is expected to increase. Competition for airtankers, hotshot
crews, smokejumpers and medium helicopters will escalate.
[NIFCC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/25]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No notes.
MEMORANDA
No memoranda.
MEETINGS/TRAINING CALENDAR
Calendar appears in the morning report every other Monday. If you know of a
conference, meeting or training session with Servicewide interest and
implications, 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:
8/2-3* -- Little Bighorn Battlefield Indian Memorial Advisory Committee
meeting, Billings, MT. Initial meeting of the committee.
Contact: Ron Everhart, RMRO.
8/3-6 -- Little Bighorn Legacy Program, Billings, MT. Contact: Doug
McChristian, Little Bighorn, 406-638-2621.
8/9-14 -- "Saving All The Pieces", Society for Ecological Restoration
Conference, Lansing, MI. Contact: Robert Welch, 517-483-9675.
[Kathy Jope, PNRO]
8/22-25 -- "Thirty Years' Commitment to Wilderness: Planning for the
Future", 1994 Region One Wilderness Ranger Rendezvous, Spotted
Bear Ranger District, Flathead NF, MT. The goal is to "create a
welcome environment for wilderness rangers, frontliners and
field managers to learn and share in the continuing stewardship
of wilderness." Information forwarded from USFS; no contact
number provided.
8/18-21 -- 67th Pecos Conference, Mesa Verde, CO. Contact: Linda Towle at
Mesa Verde at 303-529-4510.
8/24-26 -- Watershed Restoration Techniques, Redwood National Park, CA.
This three-day course provides an introduction to watershed
rehab techniques, concentrating on erosion control, road removal
and watershed restoration. It is intended for professionals
working in land management agencies who have knowledge of basic
geomorphic principles. $100 fee. For registration of further
information, contact Loretta Farley at 707-465-4113 or 5668, or
via cc:Mail by name. [Loretta Farley, REDW]
8/28-9/3 -- "Cultures Connected: Automating Museums in the Americas and
Beyond", Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC. Joint meeting of
the International Council of Museums Documentation Committee and
the and the Museum Computer Network; hosted by the NPS,
Smithsonian Institution and National Gallery of Art.
Discussions and workshops will include information sharing, data
structure and terminology, multimedia, imaging, Internet, public
policy, technology and culture, and more. Contact: Joan
Bacharach, 202-343-8140. [Joan Bacharach, CSC/WASO]
8/29-31 -- Sustaining Rangeland Ecosystems, La Grande, OR. Contact: John
Tanaka, 503-963-7122. [Kathy Jope, PNRO]
8/30-9/1 -- Universal Access to Backcountry/Primitive Recreation Areas. The
training course will employ St. Croix NSR as the classroom to
train employees on ways to better meet the needs of disabled
visitors in outdoor recreation areas. Look for the current NPS
training announcement. Contact: Kay Ellis, 202-343-3674. [Kay
Ellis, Office of Accessibility, WASO]
9/10-12 -- Second Annual Meeting, Central Division Working Group, Declining
Amphibian Populations Task Force, Bailly Training Center,
Indiana Dunes NL, IN. Papers given on the first two days will
include a wide range of topics related to amphibians; a
discussion on methods for establishing amphibian censuses will
take place during the session on the 12th. Contact: Registration
- Dr. Michael J. Lannoo, 712-337-3669; information - Dr. Ralph
Grundel, INDU, 219-926-7561. [Gary Sullivan, MWRO]
9/11-16 -- Managerial Grid, Phase I, and Managerial Grid Instructor
Preparation Seminar, Richmond, VA. Sponsored by ANPR. An NPS
course announcement will be out shortly. Contact: Debbie
Gorman, 518-793-3140. [Bill Wade, SHEN]
9/19-23 -- "Retrofitting for Accessibility: A Course for Maintenance
Personnel", Bradford Woods, Martinsville, IN. This course,
which is directed toward facility managers and maintenance
personnel, will focus on physical access and on making our
facilities accessible to disabled visitors. Look for the
current NPS training announcement. Contact: Kay Ellis, 202-343-
3674. [Kay Ellis, Office of Accessibility, WASO]
9/21-25 -- First Annual Conference of the Wildlife Society, Albuquerque,
NM. Contact: Doug Slack, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2258.
[Steve Cinnamon, MWRO]
9/22-24 -- Watershed Restoration Techniques, Redwood National Park, CA.
This three-day course provides an introduction to watershed
rehab techniques, concentrating on erosion control, road removal
and watershed restoration. It is intended for professionals
working in land management agencies who have knowledge of basic
geomorphic principles. $100 fee. For registration of further
information, contact Loretta Farley at 707-465-4113 or 5668, or
via cc:Mail by name. [Loretta Farley, REDW]
9/24-25* -- Advanced Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Workshop, Delaware
County Emergency Services Training Center, Darby, PA. The
course will provide the latest information on the assessment and
effective treatment of critical incident stress and its post-
trauma syndromes. Contact: Lisa Berg, International Critical
Incident Stress Foundation, 410-730-4311. [Jim Lee, RAD/WASO]
9/26-29 -- "Revealing Visions: Reconciling the Past with the Present for
the Future", workshop, Council for American Indian
Interpretation, Albright EDC, Grand Canyon, AZ. The workshop
will focus on the current cultural and natural resource issues
affecting American Indian peoples and how to better interpret
these issues. Contact: Karen Gustin, AEDC, 602-638-2691, or
write to CAII Workshop, PO Box 344, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.
[Karen Gustin, AEDC]
10/6-8* -- Gran Quivira Conference XXIII, Mountainair, NM. An exchange of
information and updates on current research, interpretation and
management of Spanish Colonial era sites. Contact: Kayla
Ellsbury, PO Box 496, Mountainair, NM 87036. [Milford Fletcher,
SWRO]
10/9-14 -- AMSAR Technical Rescue Seminar, Joshua Tree NM, CA. Contact:
American Search and Rescue Association, 619-365-3114. [Response
magazine, NASAR]
10/23-29 -- Eighth International Outdoor Recreation Conference, Colorado
Springs, CO. A wide variety of sessions on outdoor recreation
activities, vendor exhibits, and job mart. Contact: Bob McKeta,
Director, Army Outdoor Recreation, 703-325-2523 (fax 2519).
[Bob McKeta, AOR, USA]
10/28-11/4 -- Alaska Region Chief Rangers' Workshop and Training, Anchorage,
AK. Contact: Rich O'Guin, RAD/ARO. [Rich O'Guin, RAD/WASO]
10/31-11/4* -- "Partners in Paleontology: Protecting Our Fossil Heritage",
Fourth Conference on Fossil Resources, Colorado Springs, CO.
Hosted by Florissant Fossil Beds and BLM. The conference is a
workshop designed for staffs of federal, state and local
government agencies and cooperating organizations, including
managers, resource specialists, law enforcement specialists,
interpreters, curators and associated researchers. Contact:
Maggie Johnson, 719-748-3253. [Brian Lakes, FLFO]
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