QUARTERLY PARK OPERATIONS UPDATE
            FIRST QUARTER, FY00: OCTOBER - DECEMBER, 1999
  
                               PART 3
   
  
  February 11, 2000                                                00-01 
  ======================================================================
  
  9.0   RANGER ACTIVITIES 
  
  9.1   Fee Program - Jane Moore
  
  No update this quarter.
  
  9.2   Personal Watercraft and Regulations - Dennis Burnett
  
  The regulations governing use of personal watercraft in the NPS are 
  now at the Office of Management and Budget for review. OMB says that 
  they will be released soon. Chip Davis, who has overseen the regs 
  program for the past two years, has left the Washington Office, but 
  will stay involved with regulation-related issues until the position 
  is filled.
  
  9.3   Fire Management - Roberta D'Amico
  
  Bill Oswald has been selected as the structural fire program manager 
  at the Fire Management Program Center.  In Bill's 25-year career at 
  Golden Gate NRA, he served in a variety of positions, most recently as 
  the chief of the Presidio Fire Department. He EOD'd on October 10th.
  
  In November, the structural fire steering committee met in Atlanta, 
  Georgia, to develop a strategic plan for structural fire.  The 
  committee previously drafted Director's Order 58 on structural fire.  
  The draft DO has been sent to the Policy Office for review and will be 
  circulated for a 60-day review early this year.
  
  Tom Zimmerman, fire science and ecological applications program 
  leader, spent two weeks in October lecturing and touring throughout 
  southwestern China's Yunnan province.  Zimmerman was invited by a 
  professor at Southwestern Forestry University in Kunming, China, to 
  lecture students on the NPS philosophy for fire use and prescribed 
  fire and to explain the ecological role of wildland fire.     
  
  Deputy chief ranger Rick Gale traveled to Sydney, Australia, to serve 
  as the keynote speaker at the 1999 international wildland fire safety 
  summit in November.  The theme for the summit was lessons learned from 
  major wildfire disasters.  His presentation on emergency response 
  leadership focused on providing incident commanders with a list of 
  sequential options to consider in the event a wildland fire goes 
  "wrong."   While in Australia, Gale also presented the keynote address 
  on complex fire incident management to the senior operations managers 
  of the Victoria Country Fire Authority in Melbourne. 
  
  9.4   Uniforms - Ken Mabery
  
  Comments on proposed changes in the uniform program have been 
  solicited from the field for the past six months. These comments have 
  been reviewed by an ad hoc uniform committee comprised of ten field 
  employees and four representatives from advisory councils. They made a 
  series of recommendations which were reviewed by the ARD's for park 
  operations and will be put into effect over the coming year:
  
  o     The current system of seven uniform classes and two special 
        uniforms will be replaced by three classes - service (formerly 
        Class A service and semi-formal uniforms), field (combining 
        Class A field and Class B service uniforms), and work (combining 
        Class A and B work uniforms). These three classes will apply to 
        all job series. Implementation will begin as new shirts become 
        available in May. Detailed descriptions of appropriate wear for 
        different types of work will be made available at that time. The 
        Class A formal category has been eliminated, but a policy will 
        be written to permit open-market purchase of a specified style 
        of white shirts for formal dress occassions. Lifeguard items 
        will be phased out and the new contract, which will be issued 
        this fall, will not include a lifeguard line. Policy will be 
        written to provide guidance for local, cluster or regional 
        lifeguard uniforms.
  o     As part of these changes, the distinction between Class A and 
        Class B will be eliminated. The most identifiable elements of 
        the uniform will be extended across work functions. The current 
        maintenance shirt will be phased out, beginning in May, by a 
        steel gray shirt with sewn-down epaulets. It will be used by 
        anyone in a job series engaged in work assignments, including 
        maintenance and boat and backcountry patrols. Current shirts can 
        be worn until they are worn out.
  o     Uniform allowances will change on October 1st. Initial 
        allowances for permanents will remain at $400, but will be 
        supplemented by three years of $400 replacement allowances 
        before dropping to $320. The allowance for employees who only 
        wear the uniform occasionally will drop to $160. There will be 
        no change in seasonal allowances.
  o     Steel-toed boots, fire boots and boat shoes will be phased out 
        of the program. Law requires that safety apparel be purchased 
        with operating funds and provided to employees who need them. It 
        was never the intent of the uniform program to require employees 
        to use their uniform allowances to purchase items required for 
        safety. The contractor will be encouraged to carry these items, 
        however, as a ready source for government purchases. 
  o     The variety of socks, knit ski caps, coveralls and styles of 
        maternity clothing will be reduced. The program will now carry 
        one knit ski cap, two types of coveralls, four types of socks 
        (the popular Thorlo line), and at least two maternity options. 
        Specified colors and styles will be provided for optional 
        open-market purchase to accommodate personal preferences. 
  o     Several items have been reengineered. The cowboy hat will be 
        replaced by a lightweight, wide-brim, crushable cotton hat 
        similar to the Desert Storm military hat; it will have a UV 
        protection rating and will be authorized with the work uniform. 
        A long-sleeve shirt will be designed for open-collar use in the 
        summer for UV and environmental protection. A durable, insulated 
        jacket similar to the Carhart brand jacket will e introduced as 
        a less expensive alternative to Goretex outer wear for those 
        wearing the work uniform. Convertible trousers with zip-off 
        pants legs will be introduced with an appropriate design for 
        backcountry, bicycle and water patrol use. Field tests of six 
        new or reengineered items will take place at six parks in 
        February and March. Employees in all job series will 
        participate.
  
  The full range of changes will become more coherent and clearer when 
  the new contract goes into effect and NPS-43 is converted to a 
  director's order and reference manual. The solicitation for the 
  contract should be published in the Commerce Business Daily in early 
  February; award is scheduled for later this fiscal year.
  
  In the interim, policy memoranda will be issued, information on the 
  program will be posted in the Morning Report and on bulletin boards, 
  and updates to the uniform will appear on the contractor's web site: 
  www.horacesmallapparel.com/nps.
  
  9.5   Law Enforcement - Dennis Burnett
  
  Three significant law enforcement program studies are underway.
  
  Section 801 of Public Law 105-391, the National Parks Omnibus 
  Management Act of 1998, requires the NPS to conduct a study "to fully 
  evaluate the needs, shortfalls and requirements of the law enforcement 
  programs in the National Park Service." The study, known as the 
  "Thomas Report" after the chairman of the Senate subcommittee that 
  requested it, has been completed and approved by DOI and is now being 
  printed. It runs to about 80 pages. The central finding is that the 
  responsibilities of protection rangers and USPP officers "have 
  increased significantly over the last twenty years, both in terms of 
  system growth and broadening responsibilities," and that this has 
  resulted in "a pronounced increase in workload, accelerated wear on 
  equipment and a work force lacking sufficient numbers and training to 
  provide acceptable levels of law enforcement, public safety and park 
  resource protection."  The report recommends (among other things) 
  substantial increases in staffing and funding, expanded and improved 
  training, wholesale replacement of and/or upgrades to equipment, and 
  the development of a new criminal incident reporting system. The 
  report will go to the Senate for review and consideration.
  
  Director Stanton has mandated a Servicewide study of law enforcement 
  issues and needs. Details and updates have appeared and will continue 
  to appear in the Morning Report and won't be recapitulated here.
  
  Director Stanton has also appointed a task force to look at issues 
  concerning women in law enforcement positions in the parks and within 
  the ranks of the Park Police. The action stems from a class complaint 
  filed with the Service's EEO office which alleges that "female law 
  enforcement employees are treated less favorably in the terms, 
  conditions and privileges of employment as related to recruitment, 
  hiring, promotion, training, work environment and working conditions." 
  The task force has sent out questionnaires to all 265 or so permanent 
  female protection rangers and to all chief rangers and 
  superintendents, with responses due by January 28th. Meanwhile, focus 
  group sessions on these issues have been held in several areas of the 
  country. EEO will then collate and analyze information obtained from 
  both sources. The task force will be meeting during the week of March 
  13th to discuss findings and determine what actions to take next.
  
  9.6   Overflights - Wes Henry
  
  If all goes well, a new airspace rule for Grand Canyon NP could be 
  issued by the FAA in February. The park is considering the next steps 
  that need to be taken, including a "quiet technology" FAA rule and a 
  comprehensive noise management plan.
  
  An ad hoc advisory group met in Denver with Associate Director 
  Finnerty and Deputy Director Lowey to develop a strategy for working 
  with the FAA to complete a national rule to regulate commercial air 
  tourism over the national park system.  Legislation has passed the 
  House and Senate and is currently in conference as part of the FAA's 
  reauthorization act. Matching draft regulatory language is being 
  prepared at FAA.  Marv Jensen and Sheridan Steele are acting co-chairs 
  for a more formal steering committee that will be formed to assist the 
  overflights program as it organizes for the coming workload.
  
  A meeting will be held in Washington in early February to complete NPS 
  protocols for noise measurement and monitoring. Attending will be 
  program and field specialist from operations and natural resources and 
  NPS acoustical contractors. The meeting is open to interested park 
  staff who may soon face major noise problems; if you're interested, 
  contact Wes Henry or Bill Schmidt via cc:Mail.
  
  Director's Order 47 on soundscape preservation and noise management 
  will soon go out for its final 14-day review.
  
  9.7   Wilderness Management
  
  The national wilderness steering committee has developed a draft 
  wilderness education plan that will go to a select number of parks for 
  review. Contact Bill Gwaltney via cc:Mail if you're interested in 
  reviewing it.  It is currently undergoing an interagency review by 
  staff at the Carhart Interagency Wilderness Training Center.  It will 
  eventually be made part of Reference Manual 41, and the committee 
  hopes to produce some key educational materials for wilderness parks 
  from it.  Internet and intranet sites are also under development.
  
  The next steering committee meeting will be held at the University of 
  Montana campus in April.  Several slots on the committee are now being 
  advertised.  Contact Jim Walters if you're interested.  Among topics 
  to be discussed will be the education plan, an interagency sponsored 
  panel reviewing progress in implementation of the Wilderness Act, 
  formation of an interagency policy council, the leave no trace 
  program, status of wilderness mapping and legal descriptions required 
  by Congress, NPS wilderness awards (award nominations are still being 
  accepted - contact Jim Walters), and development of a wilderness 
  managers "tool box" for inclusion in RM 47.
  
  9.8   Other Actions
  
  Funding has been found to hire a staff person to oversee EMS and 
  search and rescue. An announcement should be out this spring.
  
  A meeting was held in late January on creating a new Servicewide 
  incident reporting system. Participants at the meeting, arranged by 
  the Division of Risk Management, focused on three goals - assessing 
  the total incident reporting and management needs of the Service and 
  the current status of CIRS; determining the feasibility of 
  establishing a single, one-stop incident management system for the NPS 
  (safety, LE, SAR, etc.); and identifying funding strategies for 
  developing such a system. More on this in future quarterly reports.
  
  DO-9, the directive on law enforcement, and RM-9, the accompanying 
  reference manual, have been completed. Dissemination is on hold, 
  however, while DOI reviews the latter.