- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, September 1, 1995
- Date: Fri, 1 Sep 1995
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, September 1, 1995
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
95-581 - Lake Mead (Nevada/Arizona) - MVA with Seven Fatalities, Seven Injured
On August 29th, a tour van with 14 passengers flipped over on US 93 about 15
miles south of Hoover Dam near the Willow Beach turnoff. Seven of the
occupants were thrown from the vehicle and killed; seven others were taken to
University Medical Center by ambulance and helicopter. Two are in serious but
stable condition, the remainder are in fair condition. The driver lost control
of the van on a curve and overcorrected; the van rolled one and a quarter times
and came to rest on its side against an embankment at the edge of the two-lane
highway. None of the passengers was wearing a seatbelt. District ranger Bill
Sherman was first on scene and coordinated the rescue effort. He was assisted
by other rangers and Park Police officers, who responded from Hoover Dam, and
by Arizona DPS officers. Victims were scattered over a wide area. Arizona DPS
is investigating the accident, and has not yet decided what charges will be
filed against the driver. Possible charges range from speeding to vehicular
manslaughter. [Bud Inman, LAME]
95-582 - Mount Rainier (Washington) - MVA with Two Fatalities, Four Injured
Shortly after noon on August 30th, the driver of a 1988 Ford Taurus carrying
five passengers lost control of his vehicle, which rolled over before plunging
nearly 200 feet down a steep talus slope. The five passengers were all ejected
from the vehicle. Two of them were killed. A male passenger suffered a broken
neck and had to be raised 100 feet by technical means before being flown by
commercial medivac helicopter to Harborview Hospital in Seattle. A second male
passenger had to be raised about 50 feet, and a female passenger crawled to the
side of the road. They were both taken by ambulance to a military medivac
helicopter waiting outside the park, then flown to the same hospital. One
survivor is currently listed in critical but stable condition; the other two
are in serious but stable condition. A state investigation team and the SSO
law enforcement specialist are assisting the park in its investigation.
[Christine Davies, MORA Comm Center]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
2) LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
Thur Fri % Est
State Area Fire IMT 8/31 9/1 Con Con
CA Cleveland NF El Monte T1 7,200 7,990 74 CN 9/2
San Diego RU Sycamore ST1 3,000 9,000 45 NEC
* Poway ST1 - 1,000 - NEC
Riverside RU * Elm -- - 220 - NEC
MT State Flat Tire -- 2,300 2,100 100 CND
HEADING NOTES:
Fire * = newly reported fire (on this report). Cx = complex.
IMT T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST1 = state Type 1; ST2 = state Type 2.
% Con Percent of fire contained.
Est Con Estimated containment date. NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report.
3) FIRES YESTERDAY -
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 2 11 5 0 142 23 183
Acres Burned 20 32 2,925 0 4,346 766 8,089
4) COMMITTED RESOURCES -
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 50 97 28 13 129
Non-federal 71 178 6 4 166
5) COMPARATIVE SUMMARY -
CY 1995 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires - U.S. 62,756 58,347
Acres Burned - U.S. 1,612,562 2,536,574
Number of Fires - Canada 7,460 -
Acres Burned - Canada 16,898,739 -
6) SITUATION - Significant fire activity continued in southern California, but
was moderate elsewhere in the United Sates. Pre-suppression mobilization of
severity resources to the Northeast has begun in response to extreme fire
danger associated with drought conditions.
The NPS Branch of Fire and Aviation Management has issued the following
statement regarding the latter:
Due to the unusually severe wildfire potential in the Northeast and the great
distance backup resources have to travel to support the region, the Forest
Service and the National Park Service have agreed to preposition and stage
initial and extended attack resources at a central location, most likely a
regional airport in New Hampshire. The following resources will be in place
and ready for dispatch by this evening:
* One Type I air tanker
* One lead plane
* Two single engine air tankers
* Portable retardant plant, a radio kit, a 100 person cache van
* One Type II incident management short team
* Four hand crews
* Miscellaneous overhead to manage the staging area and dispatch the
resources
These resources will be available to any agency needing them on a priority
basis, considering relative values at risk.
7) OUTLOOK - The potential for increased activity of the coming holiday weekend
is high because of the risk of human-caused fires.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report; Doug Erskine, Branch of Fire and
Aviation Management, NPS]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No field reports today.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) Information Request - The management staff at Big Thicket has begun a review
of the park's current hunting program with the intent of improving several
aspects of that plan. If your area has a hunting program, they'd be interested
in talking with you about a number of topics, including internal management
(operations plans, permit issuance, staff/division involvement), environmental
compliance, and customer (hunter) satisfaction (method of permit issuance,
restrictions, disabled hunter access). If you can help, please contact Bob
Valen via cc:Mail (Bob Valen at NP-BITH).
2) Grants - The National Biological Control Institute, part of the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is offering funds to encourage use of
biological controls, i.e. use of beneficial species to control pest species.
There are two types of funding available - implementation grants and
facilitation grants. Implementation grants are being offered to help with
field activities such as pilot testing and delivery of new biological control
technologies and strategies. The upper limit is $25,000 and the deadline for
proposals is November 15th. Facilitation grants are designed to improve
education and communications and might be used to fund meetings or
publications. The upper limit is $10,000 and the deadline is January 31st.
For more information, see the detailed message posted on the natural resources
bulletin board or contact Terry Cacek, IPM coordinator, at 970-225-3542 or via
cc:Mail (Terry Cacek at NP-WASO-WR).
CROSS-REFERENCE
The following cc:Mail publications, print newsletters or program bulletin
boards are available to interested employees. Listings appear monthly.
Information on other Servicewide, field office or park newsletters is solicited
and should be sent to this address.
Washington Office
* "The NPS Electric Courier", produced biweekly by WASO Public Affairs.
Contents: News from the Washington Office and around the System.
Contact: Editor, Electric Courier, via cc:Mail at Courier Editor or at
303-969-2500.
* "National Register Bulletin", produced periodically by the Interagency
Resources Division, WASO. Contents: The bulletin series is a group of
technical publications about the National Register. The newest bulletin
is entitled "Defining Boundaries for National Register Properties." The
bulletins are available in print ONLY. Requesters should send complete
mailing addresses. Contact: Tanya Velt via cc:Mail (by name) or browse
the World Wide Web at http://www.cr.nps.gov/histplace.html for more
information.
* "Clear Text", produced monthly by WASO Ranger Activities Division.
Contents: Significant divisional program activities, job openings
(principally in park ranger divisions), park ranger operational
activities. Contact: Bill Halainen via cc:Mail (by name).
* "National Green Alert", produced every other month by the Servicewide
recycling coordinator, WASO. Contents: Exchange of ideas and information
on solid waste management and recycling efforts, together with updates on
hazardous waste program. Ideas and information welcome. Contact:
National Green Alert INBOX on cc:Mail.
* "Water Resources Division Monthly Report", produced by WASO Water
Resources Division. Contents: Information on park water resource issues,
division activities, training and travel. Contact: Judy Rouse via
cc:Mail (by name).
* "Air Resources Division Report", produced by WASO Air Quality Division.
Contents: Information on monitoring activity in the parks; federal state
and outreach activities; visibility and biological effects; permit review
and coordination with other federal land managers regarding air quality
issues. Contact: Diane Diedrichs via cc:Mail (by name), or at 303-969-
2070.
* "Federal Archeology", published quarterly by the Archeological Assistance
Division in WASO. Contents: Each issue features a theme as well as
regular columns on archeological protection, repatriation, public
education, technology, and international news. Upcoming issues focus on
the Mississippi Delta, curation, underwater archeology, and international
trafficking in artifacts. Available in print only. Contact: David
Andrews via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Technical Briefs", published throughout the year by the Archeological
Assistance Division, WASO. Contents: Past topics have included
sponsoring a state archeology week, training volunteers for field work,
using archeology in the classroom, and the role of archeology in the
National Historical Landmark program. Available in print only. Contact:
David Andrews via cc:Mail (by name).
* NPS Curatorial Bulletin Board, managed by WASO Curatorial Services
Division. Contents: Information on special projects, events, meetings,
publications, training and more for central offices and field personnel
involved or interested in the management of museum collections and
archives. Contact your local cc:Mail post office administrator or
regional cc:Mail hub coordinator and ask to have your name added to the
mailing list. Send articles and news notes for publication to Virginia
Kilby via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Geologic Resources Division Monthly Report", produced by the WASO
Geologic Resources Division. Contents: Information on in-park mineral
development issues, including private development and NPS uses; geologic
resources management, research, and hazards; federal and state minerals
planning and leasing near parks; coordination with external agencies
regarding adjacent minerals permitting; and abandoned mineral site safety
and reclamation issues. Contact: Norma Clark via cc:Mail (by name).
* "Multi-Agency Fire Training Schedule", produced monthly by the Branch of
Fire and Aviation Management, NIFC. Contents: Listings of all currently-
scheduled wildland fire training courses, with nomination deadlines,
course dates, locations, course coordinators, and phone numbers, and
more. New inputs by regional fire management staffs. Contact: Paul
Broyles, Darlene Larrondo, or Sheila Williams via cc:Mail (by name), or
call 208-387-5200.
Field Offices and Parks
* "PNR Natural Resource Management News", a monthly bulletin produced by
PNR Division of Resource Management. Contents: Update on PNR resource
management activities. Contact: Kathy Jope via cc:Mail (by name at NP-
PNRO).
* "Nature Notes", a quarterly newsletter produced by Grand Canyon NP.
Contents: Dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of cultural and
natural history and critical issues relevant to the interpretation and
resource management of Grand Canyon. Contact: Greer Chesher via cc:Mail
(GRCA Village Dist. Interpreter at NP-GRCA).
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
Telephone: 202-208-4874
Telefax: 202-208-6756
cc:Mail: WASO Ranger Activities
SkyPager: Emergencies ONLY: 1-800-759-7243, PIN 2404843