NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, September 17, 1998

INCIDENTS

98-243 - Glen Canyon NRA (AZ/UT) - Follow-up: Search for Felons

Although the search continues for M.P. and J.M., wanted for
the murder of a police officer and assaults on other officers and the
superintendent of Hovenweep NM, a review of the incident has already been
held to discuss and evaluate the initial phase of the operation.  The review
was held in late August in Cortez, Colorado, site of the original shooting. 
The review included a discussion of the operation, a viewing of the shooting
scenes, examination of three of the eight police vehicles hit by gunfire on
May 29th, and a retracing of the route taken by the men as they fled toward
Hovenweep NM.  Superintendent Art Hutchison walked the group through the
shooting incident that took place in the park.  The field review concluded
with a trip to the point where the fugitives ditched their stolen vehicle and
the site along the San Juan River where a county deputy was shot.  Rangers
from Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, Glen Canyon, Capitol Reef, Rocky Mountain, Arches
and Canyonlands participated along with local deputies, investigators,
incident management personnel, a BLM ranger, staff from WASO and FLETC, and
the FBI case agent.  All parties agreed that the major problem with the
operation was communications - too many people in the field with non-
compatible radios.  Overall, participants agreed that the operation went
fairly smoothly, considering that between 600 and 700 people from 54 agencies
were involved in the incident.  Although there were many environmental
hazards and the risk of 'friendly fire' accidents, there were no significant
injuries to searchers during the manhunt.  The FBI is now the lead agency. 
[Larry Van Slyke, CR, Southeast Utah Group, 9/6]

98-309 - Great Smoky Mountains (NC/TN) - Follow-up: Shooting of Ranger

A group of park employees, spouses and friends from the Harpers Ferry area
and Great Smoky Mountains NP have put together a cookbook as a fund-raiser
for the family of ranger Joe Kolodski.  Profits from this book will go to his
widow, five-year-old daughter, and infant twins.  The cookbook, entitled
"Cooking by Design," contains over 350 recipes from around the world, grouped
into seven categories.  Director Stanton has endorsed the cookbook and
provided a couple of recipes of his own.  You can view the book's cover on
the Harpers Ferry Center web page at www.hfc.nps.gov.  If you would like to
order one (or more) and thereby make a contribution to supporting the
Kolodski family, you need to submit an order prior to September 30th to
assure that you will have it (them) by Christmas.  It sells for $10, plus $2
for shipping, and will be shipped around December 4th.  Send your orders to
Diana Cummins at montex@intrepid.net (304-728-0345) or Juanita Gustines at
Juanita_ Gustines@nps.gov (304-535-6011).  Or you can mail your order to
Harpers Ferry Center, P.O. Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, Attn: Juanita. 
Checks and money orders should be sent to that address as well, made out to
HFCSAC (Harpers Ferry Center Social Activities Committee).  Be sure to
include a mailing address.  Payments need to be made no later than November
13th.  Parks submitting orders of 25 or more should do so in a single order
to reduce shipping costs.  [Diana Cummins, HFCSAC, 9/13]

                       [Additional reports pending...]

FIRE ACTIVITY

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II

LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY 

                                                     Tue      Wed    %  Est
State      Unit             Fire/Incident     IMT    9/15     9/16  Con Con
-----      ----             -------------     ---    ----     ----  --- ---

MT   Beaverhead/
       Deerlodge NF         Bear Trap         --      785      727   90 9/17

CA   Six Rivers NF          Buck              T2      680      710   20 9/19
     Klamath NF             Cedar Creek       --      150      100  100 CND 

                                  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
IMT         T1 = Type I; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team; FUT = Interagency
            Fire Use Management Team
% Con       Percent of fire contained; UNK = unknown
Est Con     Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
            containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report

NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                    NPS    BIA      BLM     FWS    States   USFS     Total

Sunday, 9/13         0      3         0       0       38      9        50 
Monday, 9/14         0      0         0       0       61     31        92
Tuesday, 9/15        1      4         0       0      103     13       121
Wednesday, 9/16      1      6         0       0       72     12        91

TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND) 

                  Crews     Engines    Helicopters    Airtankers   Overhead

Sunday, 9/13        37        165          28             0           372
Monday, 9/14        60        179          36             5           230
Tuesday, 9/15       64        203          37             5           324
Wednesday, 9/16     63        172          37             8           285

CURRENT SITUATION

Fire activity remains minimal.

Very high and extreme fire indices were reported yesterday in California,
Arizona, Nebraska, South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon.

NICC has posted three FIRE WEATHER WATCHES - one for gusty southwest winds in
northern Idaho and western Montana, one for increasing winds and dry
thunderstorms in Oregon, and one for strong winds and low humidity in western
Utah.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/17]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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