- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, July 17, 1996
- Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, July 17, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-251 - Shenandoah (Virginia) - Follow-up on Double Homicide
The investigation of the murders of J.W., 24, and L.W.,
26, continues. At present, there are 17 investigators - eight NPS, eight FBI
and one Virginia State Police - working on the case with the assistance of 14
support people, including five people doing data entry. Approximately 1100
leads have been entered into a major crime management program. Investigators
have completed follow-ups on 87% of those leads. Approximately 7,000 letters
and fliers have been distributed to people who were in the area at the time
and may have seen the women or may have information about the case. A reward
of $25,000 is still being offered for information leading to an arrest and
conviction. The toll free number for calling in with information (1-888-856-
2467) is still in operation. A story on the murders will appear on
"America's Most Wanted" on Saturday, July 20th. Filming was done in the park
on July 11th, and included interviews with two uniformed NPS employees and
the FBI's lead investigator. The film crew was also taken to the crime scene
and to several overlooks along Skyline Drive. Viewers who have information
will be asked to call the show's toll-free number. During the airing of the
program and for several hours thereafter, case agents from both the NPS and
FBI will be available in the show's studio to help answer calls. [Peggie
Gaul, Bridal Trail Incident, SHEN]
96-368 - Everglades (Florida) - Visitors Injured by Alligator
A.T., 7, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was injured by an alligator on
the afternoon of Saturday, July 13th. The boy was bicycling with his parents
and two siblings on Shark Valley Road west of the visitor center when he fell
off his bicycle into a canal along the roadside. His parents, H.T. and
M.T., jumped in the canal to rescue Alexandre, who had been grabbed around
the chest by the alligator. As H.T. approached his son, he saw the
alligator lift its head in an attempt to move the boy to the back of its
mouth. H.T. reached around the head of the gator and attempted to pry open
its jaws; M.T. placed her arm between the mouth and her son. After a brief
struggle, the alligator released its grip and moved back. The parents then
pulled the boy to the bank of the canal, where a tram tour employee came to
their assistance. A.T. was brought to the visitor center immediately,
where Christine Larue, an entrance station employee who'd been trained as a
First Responder, provided initial aid. She was soon joined by rangers Larry
Anderson and Jeff Serbernak, both EMTs, then by a Metro Dade rescue squad.
The boy was medevaced to Miami Children's Hospital with two broken ribs, a
pneumothorax, and puncture wounds in his shoulder and chest. Rangers took
the mother to Kendall Hospital, where she was treated for puncture wounds in
the hand and released. This is believed to be the first visitor-alligator
incident since the park was established in 1947. Visitors are routinely
advised about safety precautions regarding wildlife within the park, and
admonished to stay at least 15 feet away from alligators. On Sunday,
A.T. was listed in stable condition, and was reported to be up out of
bed, playing Nintendo. District ranger Mike Mayer is heading up the
investigation. [Roberta D'Amico, IO, EVER]
96-369 - Rocky Mountain (Colorado) - Rescue
On Sunday, July 15th, climber N.D. fell 800 feet down Lamb's Slide on
the east face of Long's Peak. Two visitors witnessed the fall, hurried to
his location, and administered first aid for a laceration to the subclavical
artery in N.D.'s neck, an injury caused by his ice axe. Ranger and paramedic
Mike Pratt arrived shortly thereafter and continued to provide aid for the
next five hours. The prolonged on-scene assistance was necessitated by high
winds which made it impossible for a medevac helicopter from Denver to land.
The helicopter's crew, however, was able to drop off rangers near the scene
before leaving. An extended evacuation followed across three scree slopes;
N.D. was then taken by raft across Chasm Lake to a lower helispot. He was
flown to Saint Anthony's in Denver, where he underwent surgery and is now
listed in stable but serious condition. The incident involved 30 rescuers,
including several from Larimer County search and rescue. The area is named
Lamb's Slide after Reverend Elkannah Lamb, who fell down the 800-foot slope
while guiding climbers in August of 1871. After surviving the fall, Lamb was
quoted as saying "my salvation was a divine and direct providence." [Sharon
Brubaker, ROMO]
96-370 - Glacier Bay (Alaska) - Assault
On Monday, July 15th, five park employees and ten Tlingit natives from Hoonah
visited several archeological sites located within Dundas Bay. While
visiting a shoreside site near the mouth of the Dundas River, an
unidentified, armed male came out of the nearby woods and approached and
threatened a lone member of the group at gunpoint. The individual then
disappeared back into the woods. Protection rangers on scene were able to
safely evacuate the party from shore and depart from the bay. An
investigation is underway in conjunction with Alaska state troopers. Until
the safety of visitors is assured, the Dundas Bay area of the park will
remain closed to all on-shore activities. [Randy King, CR, GLBA]
96-371 - Delaware Water Gap (Pennsylvania/New Jersey) - Assault
On the afternoon of July 14th, an adult male counselor from a juvenile
halfway home got into a physical confrontation with two juvenile females from
the home at Smithfield Beach. The two girls, aged 14 and 15, attacked the
counselor, biting, bruising and scratching him. A third female juvenile
entered the fray to protect the counselor and stop the fight. At that point,
two male NPS lifeguards attempted to break up the brawl and were kicked and
punched by the combatants. Rangers were summoned and took all but the
lifeguards into custody. The juveniles were turned over to Pennsylvania
state troopers; because of overcrowding at the juvenile detention facility,
however, they were released to the custody of the halfway house. Charges are
pending. [Ed Whitaker, DR, DEWA]
96-372 - Jefferson National Expansion (Missouri) - Fugitive from Homicide
Just before 9 a.m. on July 15th, W.W., a former police officer and a
security guard at a local college, shot his estranged wife to death at her
place of work about ten miles from the park. W.W. was seen in the downtown
area of St. Louis later that afternoon, and a massive manhunt for him began.
He was spotted on park grounds by two detectives; the detectives and two
rangers moved in behind W.W. as he sat on the steps of the Grand Staircase.
W.W. saw them approaching from a distance of about 15 yards, drew his .357
revolver, and fired a single shot into his chest. Many visitors observed the
incident, but nobody was injured. W.W. was treated at the scene by
ranger/EMT Charles Burke and an off-duty paramedic. He is presently listed
in fair condition at an area hospital. W.W. is expected to recover fully,
and will stand trial for the murder. The major concern of both the rangers
and detectives was the high number of visitors in the area and the potential
for a shoot-out with W.W. [Deryl Stone, CR, JEFF]
96-373 - Curecanti (Colorado) - Drowning
Seven members of the C. family were having an outing at the bay near the
Iola boat ramp when 24-year-old R.C., who was swimming with her two
children, ages five and three, began shouting for help. Two visitors swam
out to them and rescued the children. R.C.'s body was found floating
upside down. CPR was begun and continued with the assistance of a ranger and
county deputy, but to no avail. R.C. was reportedly a mediocre
swimmer. [Bill Munsey, CURE]
96-374 - Delaware Water Gap (Pennsylvania/New Jersey) - Rescue
Nearly five inches of rain from Hurricane Bertha fell on the park on July
13th, significantly raising water levels in both the Delaware River and
drainages throughout the watershed. The high water caused the closure of
main park beaches, which led many visitors to retreat to various creeks the
following day to escape the heat and humidity. Around 4 p.m., rangers and
volunteer firefighters from Milford responded to a report of an injury at
Hackers Falls. A teenage girl had jumped from a rocky ledge above the falls,
landed in fast-moving flood waters funneling through a constricted canyon,
then hit a rock ledge, which knocked out some teeth and dazed her. A teenage
boy entered the water in an attempt to rescue her, but was carried into a
submerged rock which injured his ribs. Both made it to shore. The small
parking lot for the falls was so full that vehicles had to be towed out of
the way to permit the ambulance to get within 200 yards of the scene of the
incident. The victims were taken to a hospital in New York, where the girl
was admitted and the boy was treated and released. [Ed Whitaker, DR, DEWA]
96-375 - National Capital Area (D.C.) - Special Event
Despite unusually cool weather, an estimated crowd of about 500,000 people
took part in the Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall. Park
Police officers made 20 arrests over the course of the day. Incidents
included several which appeared to have been gang related. Just under 300
visitors received medical treatment at the various first aid sites; 15 of
them were taken to area hospitals for further treatment. A ten-year-old girl
received severe burns to her chest and neck when she was struck by exploding
fireworks. Other than numerous liquor law violations, no significant
incidents were reported along the nearby George Washington Memorial Parkway,
a popular site for viewing the culminating firework display. [Bill Lynch,
LES, NCFDO]
96-376 - Atlanta Area Parks (Georgia) - Special Event: Olympic Incident
The Southeast Field Area incident management team (Bob Panko, IC) arrived at
Martin Luther King NHS on July 12th to coordinate activities associated with
the upcoming Olympics. The team will be working closely with area
superintendents and their staffs, and has been charged with:
o maximizing use of available resources (both equipment and personnel);
o providing coordinated logistical support;
o coordinating interagency emergency planning and response; and
o managing support staff needed to deal with the impacts of the heavy
visitation expected at Martin Luther King, Kennesaw Mountain and
Chattahoochee River.
The team will also provide logistical support to the field director's office
in mitigating impacts from the Olympics on the area. About 60 incident
personnel have been ordered to date, including a 16-person special events
team from Midwest Field Area. Because of the high cost of rental units and
their general unavailability during the Olympics, a local elementary school
near Martin Luther King has been converted into a dormitory-style building to
house incident personnel. The school system will provide both lodging in the
classrooms and food serve in the school's cafeteria. Several other sites
will also be employed to house personnel. Several Olympic events, including
the opening ceremony torch run and two marathons, will occur partly in Martin
Luther King. Media activity and interest in the park has been high; several
international and U.S. television crews have filmed at the site over the past
few weeks. [IC, Olympic Incident]
96-377 - Jimmy Carter (Georgia) - Special Event
The Olympic torch passed through the park on the morning of Friday, July
12th. About a thousand people witnessed its passage. President Carter was
not in town and was therefore unable to participate in the torch run. No
incidents were reported as the torch left Plains on its way to Atlanta. The
torch did not pass through nearby Andersonville NHS. [Fred Boyles, ANDE]
96-378 - Ocmulgee (Georgia) - Special Event
The Olympic torch passed through the park on July 13th. The route followed
about two-and-a-half kilometers of park roads and trails and involved a total
of five torch bearers. A dozen Native Americans put on displays of singing
and dancing during the morning, providing education and entertainment to
visitors. The group also escorted the torch through a portion of the park.
Another group, led by a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), held a
permitted demonstration in another part of the park. Rangers from Kennesaw
Mountain, Chattahoochee River and Martin Luther King and refuge officers from
Piedmont NWR provided primary security for the torch bearer inside the park.
There were no problems. [Pete Schula, ACR, OCMU]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 7/16 7/17 Con Con
ID Boise District INEL Assist # -- 10,000 34,000 80 7/17
CO Dinosaur NM Zenobia T2 4,350 4,350 95 7/16
Montrose District Warner Point -- 618 697 100 CND
NV Battle Mtn District Buffalo -- 1,000 1,500 100 CND
CA Angeles NF Gorge T1 1,800 1,800 75 7/16
Inyo NF Sage Flat T2 1,500 1,538 75 7/17
TX Lower Rio Grand NWR * Boscajo -- - 400 100 CND
AK Statewide 27 LSS fires -- 420,491 342,062 -- --
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; LPS = limited
protection status
INCIDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Zenobia Fire, Dinosaur NM - A backing fire along an area of inaccessible
river slopes remained active yesterday. The fire will be turned back to the
park this morning, and demobilization should be completed by tonight.
China Well Flood, Mescalero Agency - The incident will be turned back to the
agency at 5 p.m. today and the NPS Type I IMT will be demobilized.
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 0 3 35 2 89 66 195
Acres Burned 0 1 2,364 400 584 590 3,939
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 112 197 52 2 310
Non-federal 18 22 7 5 30
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack continued throughout the West yesterday. Substantial progress
was made on most large fires; containment objectives have either been
achieved or will be met today. Resource mobilization through NICC was
minimal.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
Fire potential remains considerable due to breezy conditions and the likely
activation of holdover lightning fires.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/17]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Point Reyes (California) - New Resource Management and Science Center
The park has opened a new center which is dedicated to promoting resource
management and scientific study and to creating supportive partnerships with
outside agencies and organizations. The new center is housed in a former
residence with 3,000 square feet of space; it has been extensively
rehabilitated to provide office and work space. The concept for the center
arose during the recent Vision fire, which burned over 12,000 acres of the
park. The need for intensive monitoring and partnerships quickly became
apparent, as over 20 partners are now conducting research in the fire area.
A community open house is planned for August 15th to celebrate the center's
creation. [Don Neubacher, Superintendent, PORE]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Firefighting Questionnaire - As part of the interagency management review
team report following the investigation of the South Canyon fire in 1994, a
contract was let to Tri-Data Corporation to analyze the current culture of
wildland firefighting and to make recommendations for changes to that culture
which might result in a safer firefighting environment for all. An extensive
questionnaire was developed by Tri-Data and, through random sampling
techniques, sent to more than 2800 firefighters throughout the United States.
More than 260 NPS firefighters have received the questionnaire. Although
this is the busy season for recipients of this questionnaire, which is
somewhat long and daunting, Tri-Data needs as many responses as possible in
order to obtain the best possible data from a widely diverse group of
firefighters. NPS recipients are strongly encouraged to find the time to
thoroughly answer the questions. Your comments will help form the basis for
developing future firefighting culture paradigms. [Rick Gale, RAD/WASO]
Jurisdiction - Secretary Babbitt and Maryland governor Parris Glendening have
signed an agreement granting concurrent law enforcement jurisdiction to the
17 National Park Service areas within that state. Maryland is the 43rd state
to grant concurrent jurisdiction to the NPS. The cession of jurisdiction by
Maryland took 18 years to achieve. [Einar Olsen, NCSSO, NCFA]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
Weather Closure Policies - The Statue of Liberty is preparing to update its
weather closure policies and would like to review policies or procedures
which other parks may have developed for closing all or part of a park for
weather-related incidents. Of particular concern is criteria for curtailing
visitation to exterior elevated areas of the statue's pedestal and during
high heat. If you can help, please forward any copies of policies via
cc:Mail to Scott Pfeninger at STLI Ranger Activities.
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.
--- ### ---