NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, May 18, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-222 - Midwest Regional Office (NE) - Death of Employee

Glenette Adams, secretary to the regional director, passed away on May 
9th following an 18-month-long struggle with cancer. Glenette "was a 
well-respected, dedicated professional who carried out her duties with 
calm grace. She cared about people and was a woman who carried herself 
well in every role she was cast." She is survived by her husband, 
K., her daughter, T., her son, La., and her two-month-old 
grandson, Lo. Sympathy cards may be sent to the family.
[Lois Vander Tuin, MWRO, 5/17]

01-223 - Zion NP (UT) - Fatality

P.L., 37, of Beaumont, Texas, died while hiking in the park on 
the afternoon of Wednesday, May 16th. P.L. had been hiking with two 
companions in the Left Fork of North Creek, but left them to return to 
the trailhead. Two hikers found her lying motionless and unresponsive 
on the trail. One ran to the trailhead, stopped a passing motorist 
with a cell phone, and made a 911 call. A group of backcountry rangers 
who were on a training exercise in the area were dispatched to the 
scene. They found that P.L. had no vital signs and that she'd been in 
that condition for at least 40 minutes. Medical control at Dixie 
Regional Medical Center advised not to start resuscitation efforts due 
to the time that had elapsed with no vital signs. Investigators from 
the park and county sheriff's office determined that P.L. had gone 
off trail, then had attempted to descend back to the trail. In the 
process, she apparently fell about 50 feet down a steep slope. There 
were no witnesses. The investigation continues. [Ron Terry, ZION, 
5/17]

01-224 - Kennesaw Mountain NBP (GA) - Attempted Suicide

On the afternoon of May 9th, a bicyclist reported that a man had 
collapsed on the mountain road and was unresponsive. Association 
employee Andy Cole and historian Willie Johnson were first on scene 
and were soon joined by ranger Andrea Catroppa and local EMS and 
rescue units. They found the man unresponsive, pale and shaking, with 
a bruise on his head and several abrasions on his legs. At one point, 
he stopped breathing. He was taken to a local hospital and placed in 
an ICU. The man appeared to be in his early 20's, but had no 
identification on him. Investigation led to the discovery of his car 
at the top of the mountain. His wallet and license were on the seat, 
and Catroppa was able to identify him as an 18-year-old from Marietta, 
Georgia. Further investigation led to the discovery that there were 
serious domestic problems at the victim's home. His father was 
addicted to methedrine and had recently destroyed the interior of the 
house, then dowsed it with gasoline and threatened to kill his wife. 
The victim was reportedly depressed by this situation. Some hikers 
told Catroppa that they'd seen a sweater and some pills on the 
mountain trail at the summit. Ranger Rich Biurgren found them and 
determined that the man had taken a bottle of sleeping pills and some 
anti-depressants. His medical condition was subsequently upgraded, and 
he is to be transferred to a psychiatric facility. [Andrea Catroppa, 
KEMO, 5/16]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Plan

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton will travel to Grand Teton and 
Yellowstone next week.  She will review the repair and maintenance 
backlog at the parks and participate in DOI and congressional 
briefings on issues including wildland urban interface, open space 
planning, back country management, and Jackson Lake Dam.

Hiring continues for NPS fire positions. The tally this week: 
temporary positions - 739 total, 388 hired to date; career/seasonal 
positions - 235 total, 185 hired to date; permanent positions - 416 
total, 237 hired to date. That's a total of 810 people hired for 1,390 
total positions (58%).

Here's a list of a number of current openings in the fire community 
(all can be found on USA Jobs):

o Grand Teton NP has readvertised its GS-4 and GS-5 seasonal 
  positions. Both interagency engine and fuels crew personnel will be 
  hired from these announcements. The seasons may range from early 
  June to the end of September.
o BLM is advertising for the GS-0401-13/14 chief of their community 
  protection and assistance operation. The duty station is at NIFC. 
  The announcement closes on June 15th.
o The Forest Service wants to fill four fire positions in its eastern 
  regional office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are: airplane pilot 
  (light fixed wing and program manager), GS-2181-12; helicopter 
  management specialist, GS-2101-11/12; regional fire training and 
  safety officer, GS-401-13; and biologist (prescribed and wildland 
  fire specialist), GS-401-13. 
o The Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah has three fire positions 
  available: forest fire and aviation management officer, 
  GS-0460/0462-12, duty station: Price, Utah; forest fuels management 
  specialist, GS-0460/0462-11, duty station: Price, Ferron, or Moab, 
  Utah; and fire ecology specialist, GS-0408/0460-11, duty station: 
  Price, Utah. 

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 1

Report not available today.

Park Fires

Everglades NP (FL) - Firefighters continue to patrol the perimeter of 
the Lopez Fire. Bucket drops are continuing on hammocks to prevent 
consumption of organic soils and prevent further tropical hardwood 
mortality. 

Big Cypress NP (FL) - The park reports one new 30-acre fire in the 
Bear Island campground. It was contained by firefighters, four 
engines, and two helicopters. 

Park Fire Danger

Extreme         Big Bend
Very High       Everglades
High            Great Smokies, Lake Mead, Hawaii Volcanoes, Grand 
                Canyon

[Debee Schwarz, NPS Fire Information, WASO; Mike Warren, NPS FMPC, 
5/17; NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/18; NPS Situation 
Summary Report, 5/17]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

FLETC Notes - This is Law Enforcement Memorial Week, which is an 
appropriate time to note the unfortunate fact that the National Park 
Service leads all other federal law enforcement agencies with the 
highest percentage of assaults against its rangers and officers. There 
are numerous and complex reasons for this, but some of the causes are 
more evident and need to be brought up. Research conducted at FLETC 
has shown that criminals often operate like predators, evaluating the 
strengths and weaknesses of their "prey." They evaluate both the 
verbal and non-verbal behavior of rangers and officers, and often make 
a decision on whether or not to assault them based on cues that 
include manner of speech and walking, appearance in uniform, 
communications, use of equipment, and apparent level of control. FBI 
researchers have determined that criminals who have killed officers 
often make their decision to do so based on cues as specific as the 
officer's tone of voice, perceived casual nature, and/or apparent lack 
of physical fitness. NPS rangers and agents who come to FLETC are 
taught to treat the public with professionalism and respect, while at 
the same time taking a position offering tactical advantage and 
maintaining a high level of awareness and readiness. The traditional 
ranger image and sound officer survival practices are not mutually 
exclusive; rather, they complement and reinforce each other. There is 
considerable evidence that the behavior and actions that significantly 
affect officer survival are found when performing even the most 
routine ranger duties and interactions with the public. Before going 
on patrol or out on an investigation, rangers and agents should ask 
some key questions:

o How do I look in uniform? What kind of symbolic communication am I 
  transmitting to the visiting public and to criminals?
o Do I look physically and mentally fit and ready for work?
o What does my use (or non-use) of body armor and equipment say about 
  my capabilities, commitment to doing an excellent job, and concern 
  for my survival?
o What kind of visual message does my patrol vehicle, boat or aircraft 
  send to the visiting public and criminals?
o How do I stand, walk, talk and communicate non-verbally?
o How much confidence does my presence give the public, and how much 
  deterrence does it give criminals?
o What kind of command presence do I have?
o Do I appear both friendly and approachable and capable and in 
  control?

These are all factors under our control and contribute significantly 
to minimizing assaults and injuries. This is the week to remember our 
colleagues and friends who have fallen or been injured and pay tribute 
to them by working to assure the same thing doesn't happen to us. [NPS 
Law Enforcement Training Center Staff, FLETC]

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS

Regular sections not appearing today (due either to lack of 
submissions or time constraints in preparing this edition) but are 
available at all times:

o Natural/Cultural Resource Management - Significant developments in 
  these fields.
o Interpretation/Visitor Services - Significant developments in these 
  fields.
o Memoranda - Memoranda from WASO to the field on all operational 
  matters.
o Interchange - Requests or offers from any park or office for 
  materials, information or any other operational needs.
o Parks and People - Reports on people (job openings, retirements, 
  etc.) and parks (significant happenings of any kind).
o Hot Links - Web addresses for NPS-related sites.
o Film at 11 - Reports on current or upcoming print or electronic 
  media stories on the NPS.

                            *  *  *  *  *

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed 
by park, office and/or regional cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please 
address requests pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your 
servicing hub coordinator.  The Morning Report is also available on 
the web at http://www.nps.gov/morningreport

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

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