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Subject: NPS Morning Report - 5/14/99
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Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 05:11:19 -0400
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, May 14, 1999
INCIDENTS
99-156 - Glacier Bay NP&P (AK) - Follow-up: Search for Plane, Park Employee
The search for NPS seasonal employee Scott Croll, 34, and pilot David
McKenzie, 51, reported overdue from a flight from Haines to Juneau in a small
plane on May 2nd, was officially suspended by the Coast Guard and Alaska
state troopers on May 6th following several days of intensive air, water and
ground search efforts. Some search efforts continued into the weekend,
however, as family members, friends and local SAR volunteers (22 on Saturday)
searched high probability coastal areas near the aircraft's last reported
location. No evidence of either the aircraft or Croll or McKenzie was found.
It's likely that the airplane went down within minutes of encountering a snow
squall, but it's not known whether it went down on land or in the water. Air
temperatures averaging 37 degrees and equivalent water temperatures
significantly reduced exposure survivability probabilities calculated by the
Coast Guard, which was a factor in the decision to suspend the search pending
additional information. CISD counseling services have been provided to park
employees and family members. Scott's parents, S.C. and E.C., arrived
in Glacier Bay on Wednesday along with other family members. A memorial
service for Scott was held at the park yesterday evening; another gathering
with Scott's friends is planned in Haines. The C. family asks that
donations be made to the Student Conservation Association. For additional
information regarding the Scott Croll Memorial Fund, please contact Marilyn
McCoy at SCA at either 603-543-1700 or membership@sca-inc.org. [Randy King,
CR, GLBA, 5/12]
99-175 - Little River Canyon NP (AL) - Rescue
Rangers received a report of an injured child in the river above Little River
Falls on May 9th. Ranger Mike Clarke found a 13-year-old boy in the middle
of the river, clinging to a small rock outcropping just 20 feet above the 40-
foot falls. Clarke strapped on a climbing harness; while tethered to a rope
and with the assistance of other rangers, he was able to make his way through
swift, chest-deep water to the boy, who was suffering from a broken left
ankle. Local rescue teams assisted in the boy's extrication and
stabilization. He said that he'd been tubing upstream from the falls, that
his tube had gotten away from him, and that he'd injured his ankle when
stepping into a hole. The river was high due to recent rains, keeping most
everyone else out of the water. [Dwight Dixon, CR, LIRI, 5/12]
99-176 - San Juan NHS (PR) - Falling Fatality
L.S., 28, of New York City, New York, fell from the Castillo del
Morro bridge while photographing her boyfriend in a sentry box early on the
afternoon of May 9th. L.S. was backing up to get a full view of her
subject when she hit the bridge's two-foot wall, lost her balance, and fell
about 14 feet to the dry moat's concrete walkway below. She sustained a head
trauma and external bleeding, but was conscious when one of the park's
visitor use assistant's reached her. She later lost consciousness in a
nearby medical center and died on the night of May 10th. [Mark Hardgrove,
SAJH, 5/12]
99-177 - Cape Hatteras NS (NC) - MVA with Fatality, Multiple Injuries
On Wednesday, April 14th, a Chevrolet Suburban operated by Albin Hoover of
Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania, crossed the center of Lighthouse Road on
Bodie Island and struck a Buick LeSaber head on. Rangers responded along
with local fire and rescue and EMS units. The driver of the LeSaber, G.C.
of Winter Springs, Florida, was flown to a hospital, as was his wife.
H.C., his father, and three other passengers from the Buick were taken by
ambulance to the Outer Banks Medical Center. On April 21st, G.C. passed
away due to respiratory failure stemming from injuries suffered in the
accident. Charges against Hoover are pending. [CRO, CAHA, 5/12]
99-178 - Organ Pipe Cactus NM (AZ) - MVA with Fatality and Injury
J.S., 28, lost control of his car as it was heading north through
the park at a very high rate of speed on state highway 85. The vehicle
rolled several times, slid on its roof for 150 feet, and came to rest in the
southbound lane. J.S. was pronounced dead at the scene; passenger Karen
Gustafson, 27, was critically injured and flown to a hospital in Phoenix.
The highway was closed for several hours. Numerous federal, state and local
agencies responded, including members of the park's structural fire brigade,
who assisted with vehicle stabilization and fire protection. The accident
was evidently caused by a combination of alcohol, prescription narcotics, and
speed (the car was traveling in excess of 100 mph). [Jon Young, IC, ORPI,
5/7]
99-179 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Suicide
District ranger Richard Morefield came upon an unoccupied vehicle on the
Roanoke River Ridge at 10:20 p.m. on May 8th and subsequently discovered a
body under the bridge and in the river. Ranger Mike Klingensmith assisted in
the investigation. The body was recovered by boat around 2 a.m. The victim
has been identified as B.W., 55, of Roanoke. Rangers and county
detectives are investigating. [Gordon Wissinger, BLRI, 5/13]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Wed Thu % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 5/12 5/13 Con Con
FL Everglades NP Brown -- 600 650 40 5/15
State Bonita Springs -- 400 510 100 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; 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
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Sunday, 5/9 4 0 0 1 55 14 74
Monday, 5/10 0 1 1 0 148 12 162
Tuesday, 5/11 0 2 0 1 141 10 154
Wednesday, 5/12 1 3 3 0 58 0 65
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Sunday, 5/9 13 34 12 0 214
Monday, 5/10 19 39 12 2 245
Tuesday, 5/11 14 34 7 2 203
Wednesday, 5/12 8 31 4 1 123
FIRE NARRATIVES
Everglades NP - A half to three-quarters of an inch of rain fell on the Brown
Fire on Tuesday afternoon and evening. The fire was active in interior pine
lands on Wednesday; planned burnout operations could not be conducted because
of high humidity. Personnel also had to be pulled off the fire because of
thunderstorms and lightning. [Mike Warren, NPS FPMC]
CURRENT SITUATION
There was little activity anywhere in the U.S. on Wednesday. Progress
continued on fires in Ontario, where three large fires had burned 256,000
acres and hadn't yet been contained.
Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in Michigan, New Hampshire,
Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba,
Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. [NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 5/13]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
INTERCHANGE
No entries.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Saratoga NHP - Museum technician Debbie Gorman will be leaving her position
at the park after 13 years there to complete a masters in social work at the
State University of New York, Albany. During her time at Saratoga, she
served as an office automation assistant and worked for cultural and natural
resources, fee collection and Eastern National. She started with the NPS as
an interpretive ranger at Acadia NP in 1976, worked two seasons in the West
District checkpoint at Fire Island NS, and both worked for Eastern National
and volunteered in the living history program while at Morristown NHP. A
farewell scrapbook will be compiled. If you have submissions, please send
them to Chris Martin, Saratoga NHP, 648 Route 32, Stillwater, NY 12170.
* * * * *
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office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
pertaining to receipt of 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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