- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, May 23, 1996
- Date: Thurs, 23 May 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, May 23, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-214 - Yosemite (California) - Follow-up on Search and Rescue
On May 16th, Austrian climbers C.Z. and C.W.
were rescued from El Capitan, where they were stranded and suffering from
exposure caused by a storm which hit the park the previous day.
Investigation of the incident and interviews with the pair revealed that they
were inadequately equipped to endure bad weather on a multi-day, "big wall"
climb. On May 20th, criminal complaints were filed with the federal
magistrate in Yosemite, charging C.Z. and C.W. with creating a
hazardous condition (36 CFR 2.34(a)(4)). The climbers appeared in court two
days later and pled guilty. They were placed on a year's summary probation
with the condition that restitution of $13,325 be made to reimburse the park
in full for the cost of the rescue. The funds will be used to replace SAR
and EMS equipment and help pay for training in these two fields. [Evan
Jones, SAR Officer, YOSE]
96-217 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Follow-up on Employee Death
Seasonal ranger Bob Drury, who died of a heart attack on May 15th, was 50
years old and a resident of Estes Park at the time of his death. He had been
a professor at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. He was an avid hiker
and had led numerous Colorado Mountain Club trips. Survivors include his
parents, a sister, and a nephew. Condolences may be sent in care of his
sister, Marry Ellen Drury. Flags at park entrances, visitor centers and
campgrounds were flown at half staff in his honor for three days. [Kris Holien, ROMO]
96-229 - Lincoln Home (Illinois) - Prostitution Arrests
During the month of May, the park's law enforcement rangers carried out a
series of undercover operations in an effort to curtail prostitution in the
park. Ranger Pete Swisher, equipped with a concealed body wire from the
Midwest Field Area's special equipment cache, attempted to receive sex for
money offered to targeted prostitutes. Arrest teams and a surveillance
ranger observed his activities and recorded conversations between him and
each prostitute. Three arrests were made within the park. M.M.,
21, and S.F., 38, both of Springfield, were charged under an
assimilated state prostitution law; a 17-year-old female who was nine months
pregnant was arrested after being released from jail for a separate
prostitution arrest which had occurred three hours earlier. State charges
will be pursued at the request of the U.S. attorney. Springfield police made
three additional arrests just south of the park. Authorization for
permission to intercept and record one-party consent conversations was
received from WASO Ranger Activities. This was the first operation using
this equipment in Midwest Field Area. The operations were coordinated with
Springfield police and the U.S. attorney's office and assisted by field area
criminal investigator Guy Whitmer and law enforcement specialist Bruce
Cunningham. [Dan Banta, SPR, LIHO]
96-230 - Biscayne (Florida) - Resource Violation
Resource management rangers found a massive section of either offshore oil
drilling equipment or pipe laying apparatus protruding about ten feet above
the ocean surface near Pacific Reef light tower on the afternoon of May 17th.
The object measured 75 feet by ten feet by ten feet and was estimated to
weigh in excess of 100 tons. The object was in contact with the sea bottom
and was drifting towards the reef platform. Early the next morning, a park
dive team was dispatched to the area to gather photographic evidence and
identification data, and a salvage operator arrived on scene to make an
initial assessment of how the object might be removed. On May 19th, salvage
divers were able to inject enough compressed air into the structure to raise
it from the sea bottom and begin towing it to sea. Because of the difficulty
in moving this object any distance, the decision was made to scuttle it at a
point where the ocean depth was 400 feet and it could be retrieved at a later
date, if necessary. The investigation into the origin and ownership of the
object continues in hopes that the cost of removing it from the park can be
recouped. [Wayne Elliott, CR, BISC]
96-231 - Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) - Suicide
A park maintenance worker discovered the body of G.U., 52, of
Annandale, Virginia, at a battery marker in the Wheatfield at 7:30 a.m. on
the morning of May 22nd. Investigation indicates that G.U. was
despondent over the impending breakup of his marriage and difficulties at
work. He apparently left his office on the morning of May 21st and drove to
Gettysburg, taking only a few dollars, his operator's license and a handgun.
He purchased a book on Abraham Lincoln at the park bookstore that afternoon.
G.U. died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head some
time early that evening. [Peter Walzer, SPR, GETT]
96-232 - Coulee Dam (Washington) - Body Recovery; Apparent Suicide
Rangers responded to a report of a body in the Kettle River on May 16th and
recovered the remains with the assistance of the county sheriff's office and
coroner. Information provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police revealed
that the victim - apparently a suicide - was a Canadian citizen who was
reported missing on March 29th. The body has been returned to Canada for an
autopsy. This is the second body recovery of a Canadian suicide victim in
the park this year. [CRO, CODA]
96-233 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Larceny
On the evening of May 21st, a couple from Manchester, England, traveling in
the U.S. as part of an organized tour group, left a camcorder bag (minus
camcorder) lying unattended on the Arch grounds for about ten minutes while
videotaping around the Arch. The bag was gone when they returned. Lost with
the bag was about $455 in English currency, $1,100 in British travelers
checks, and several credit cards. There are no known suspects at this time.
[Beth Stout, Acting CR, JEFF]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire IMT 5/22 5/23 Con Con
CO Pike/San Isabel NF Buffalo Creek T1 11,875 11,875 100 CND
AZ Coconino NF Horseshoe T2 8,100 8,650 90 5/23
FL Ocala NF Major #1 -- 3,155 3,160 95 6/1
Heading Notes
Unit -- Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire -- * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
strategy
IMT -- T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con -- Percent of fire contained
Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 0 7 1 0 50 6 64
Acres Burned 0 2 0 0 184 550 7366
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 82 76 28 4 444
Non-federal 1 20 1 0 61
CURRENT SITUATION
Significant progress continues in suppressing the large fires burning in the
Rockies and Southwest. High to extreme fire dangers persist in the
Southwest. Resource mobilization through NICC was minimal yesterday.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted FIRE WEATHER WATCHES for Arizona and New Mexico for strong
winds, low relative humidities and very dry fuels. These conditions will
increase the likelihood of fires in those states - particularly in northern
Arizona, where dry lightning (lightning from storms that produce little or no
rain) is possible.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/23]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Asbestos Abatement - In 1993, the Cape Hatteras historic preservation team
had several projects in various stages of completion, three of which required
asbestos removal. Assessments revealed that removal by a private contractor
would be very expensive. Team members found that the Navy had an asbestos
abatement team at its Norfolk Naval Base which could do the work, but that
costs would again be prohibitive due to the long commuting distance. The
decision was made to attempt to do the work in house. Although costs would
be incurred in travel, organization and supervision, money could be saved by
eliminating the cost of insurance premiums, overhead and contractor profit.
Following extensive consultation with the state, local universities, doctors
and SSO safety staff in Atlanta, three park employees were certified in
asbestos abatement. At a cost of $50,000, the park has trained and certified
the employees, paid for complete physical examinations, licensed the
operation with the state of North Carolina, purchased all materials and
supplies necessary to complete the work on the previously mentioned jobs, and
acquired materials needed to complete additional work. The park is now
prepared to provide any area in the system with trained asbestos abatement
employees. Projects in other states are coordinated through the North
Carolina state environment, health and natural resources offices. The park
employees have to date completed numerous asbestos inspections and six
abatement projects in other parks, saving those areas an average of 50% over
the same services provided by the private sector. [Editor's note: No contact
name was provided on the report]
Prescribed Fire Qualifications - On April 25th, acting Associate Director for
Park Operations and Education Chris Andress signed and sent interim guidance
for prescribed fire qualifications to field directors. The National Wildfire
Coordinating Group (NWCG) has developed minimum standards for interagency
prescribed fire operations which can be found in NWCG 310-1, part 2, the
prescribe fire subsystem of the wildland fire qualifications guide. The
document has been sent to parks where it is applicable. The interim guidance
requires that these standards be utilized in NPS internal prescribed fire
operations and interagency fires. Physical fitness standards have also been
developed, and can be found in the qualifications subsystem of the shared
applications computer system maintained by the fire management program
center. Questions should be directed to Tom Zimmerman at 208-387-5215.
[Doug Erskine, F&AM, RAD/WASO]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
Saddle Blankets - Guadalupe Mountains is interested in hearing from any parks
that have had saddle blankets with NPS arrowhead emblems custom made for
their horses. They've checked into acquiring same sufficiently to find that
the initial setup charges are higher than they can afford, so they're looking
for a company already making such blankets that could add the park name and
provide them to the park. Contact Bobby Clark at NP-GUMO.
OBSERVATIONS
"The elements of primary interest in these parks are of many types. They
include some of the greatest known illustrations of magnitude, power, beauty
and antiquity. We know that their influence removes us for the moment from
the weary routine of the commonplace, and develops an attitude of mind
favorable to enjoyment of thought on our greater personal problems."
John C. Merriam, from "Quotes:
Conservation, Parks, Natural
Beauty," DOI, 1966
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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