NPS Morning Report - Friday, July 6, 2001



                        NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, July 6, 2001

INCIDENTS

99-731 - Kaloko-Honokohau (HI) - Follow-up: Murder of Park Ranger 

A number of people have asked for an update on this case. This is how 
it stands at present: F.E.B. III, the suspect in the 
murder of ranger Steve Makuakane-Jarrell, was found competent to stand 
trial during a hearing in federal court in Honolulu on January 17th. 
F.E.B. was arraigned the following day and ordered to stand trial on 
October 16th. Pre-trial preparation and investigation is on-going by 
NPS rangers, special agents, the U.S. Attorney's office and the FBI. 
[Scott Hinson, SA, LAME, 7/5]

01-331 - Fossil Butte NM (WY) - Paleontological Resource Vandalism

On the morning of July 1st, the park's geology intern entered the 
scientific-interpretive fossil quarry to prepare for a visitor 
program. The quarry is managed as a closed area within the park, and 
public access is limited to ranger-guided activities. The intern found 
evidence of an unauthorized entry into the closed area. The southern 
portion of the exposed fossil-producing rock layer was heavily damaged 
and broken rock was scattered about in the quarry. A number of fossil 
fish specimens were shattered, but it was not possible to determine 
whether any fossil specimens were illegally collected. Evidence was 
obtained within the quarry during an assessment of the site.  [Vincent 
Santucci, CR, FOBU, 7/1]

01-332 - Colonial NHP (VA) - Near Drowning; EMS Response

Dispatch was notified of a near drowning at College Creek along the 
parkway on June 25th. Ranger Jimbo Thompson found a ten-year-old lying 
on the beach in obvious respiratory distress. Thompson provided 
initial care, then was advised that a second victim was suffering from 
an asthma attack. James City County fire and EMS units were dispatched 
and took both boys to the hospital. According to witnesses, 
ten-year-old E.T. was wading in the creek and stepped into 
deep water. The swift tidal current began pulling him away from the 
shore and he screamed for help. G.B., 59, heard the screams, 
jumped into the creek and was able to lift the boy's head out of the 
water. While trying to swim back to the shoreline, however, he became 
exhausted and suffered an asthma attack. A second rescuer, R.B., 
jumped in the creek and managed to pull them both back to the 
beach. E.T. and G.B. have made full recoveries. (Tom Nash, CR, 
COLO, 6/29)

01-333 - Upper Delaware S&RR (NY/PA) - Drowning

On the afternoon of June 21st, the Sullivan County emergency control 
center advised park dispatch of a 911 call that they had received 
reporting a water-related emergency near the Barryville bridge. 
Rangers and emergency personnel responded and found that a canoe had 
capsized and that one of its occupants, 70-year-old man, had been 
swept away by the river. Because of the remoteness of the area, it had 
taken about 45 minutes for the victim's companion to hike out from the 
shore and call 911. The man's body was recovered in about eight feet 
of water about three-quarters of a mile below the bridge. According to 
news reports, this is what had happened: The two men had rented a 
canoe from Kittatinny Canoes in Barryville and entered the river 
around 9:30 a.m. for a 17-mile, eight-hour excursion downstream to 
Matamoras. About three miles downriver, the canoe hit a rock in 
Shohola Rapids, spun and capsized. The men could stand in the water at 
that point, so one hung onto the canoe and the other headed toward the 
New York shore. When the current pulled the man holding the canoe into 
deeper water and toward more rapids, he let the canoe go. He didn't 
see what became of his friend. The two men had made this same trip 
annually for 18 years. The survivor was wearing a life jacket; the 
victim's life jacket was found tied to the canoe's thwart. The NPS and 
New York State Police are investigating. [Cliff Daniels, LE 
Supervisor, UPDE, 6/26]

                   [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level II

Wildland fire activity increased over the Fourth of July holiday. As 
of yesterday morning, 22 large fires were burning in seven western 
states. More than 700 fires were ignited on Tuesday and Wednesday, a 
majority of those in the western states stemming from the passage of a 
series of thunderstorms. Twelve new large fires were reported 
yesterday, and another eight were contained. Initial attack was 
moderate to heavy in most areas. Very high to extreme indices were 
reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, 
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming

More than 1.14 million acres have been affected by wildland fires 
since January, slightly below the ten-year average of 1.24 million 
acres.

The full NICC situation report can be found at 
http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf.

National Resource Status (Five Day Trend)

                        Mon     Tue     Wed     Thu     Fri
Date                    7/2     7/3     7/4     7/5     7/6
                
Crews                   67      68      108     129     158
Engines                 113     145     238     267     371
Helicopters             36      36      63      67      76
Air Tankers             2       6       6       5       5
Overhead                514     445     495     614     595

Park Fire Situation

Dinosaur NM (CO) - The Jack Springs Fire has burned 123 acres. 
Torching and spotting were observed along the eastern perimeter 
yesterday.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs (CA) - The park recorded 967 lightning 
strikes on July 2nd. As of July 4th, there were a dozen confirmed 
fires. Of these, five were suppressed and another five were allowed to 
burn for beneficial purposes.

Great Basin NP (NV) - Two lightning-caused fires were reported on July 
4th.  Three people were dispatched to the Can Young Canyon Fire (.1 
acre); no one was sent to the Overlook Fire, since the area received 
some rain. The latter is being monitored by park staff.

Joshua Tree NP (CA) - The park reports numerous lightning strikes on 
the Fourth of July. Firefighters responded to one start.

Everglades NP (FL) - The park's fire crew, with assistance from Great 
Smoky Mountains NP staff, successfully completed black-lining of a 
150-acre Rx burn unit on July 4th.

Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Three new fires - all lightning caused - 
ignited in the park on the 4th. A total of once acre had burned at the 
time of the report. Engines and hand crews were working all three.

Denali NP (AK) - The B288/Herron River had burned 4,704 acres as of 
July 1st. It was flown by surveillance aircraft on the afternoon of 
the 2nd. The northeast edge, was active, but had been temporarily 
checked by a small stream as it moved toward the Foraker River. 

Park Fire Danger

Extreme         Joshua Tree NP, Lake Mead NRA, Hawaii Volcanoes NP
Very High       Grand Canyon NP, Zion NP, Dinosaur NM
High            Everglades NP

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 7/5; Alaska Wildland Fire Situation 
Update, 7/5; National Fire News, 7/5; NICC Incident Management 
Situation Report, 7/6]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Chaco Culture NHP (NM) - The park is seeking individuals interested in 
a lateral transfer to a GS-9 law enforcement position. Occupancy 
within the park is required. EMS skills are desirable, as well as 
willingness to work as a team member. Housing is a modern (new) duplex 
with two bedrooms and two full baths. Rent is approximately $400 per 
month. This is a remote duty station located approximately one hour 
and twenty minutes from the Aztec/Bloomfield/Farmington area. Numerous 
recreational opportunities are available in the Four Corners region. 
If interested, contact any of the following: superintendent Butch 
Wilson,  505-786-7014 ext. 230; administrative officer Matilda Arviso, 
505-334-6174 ext. 33; ranger Gordon Ellison, 505-786-7014 ext. 237. 
[Gordon Ellison, CHCU]

LESSONS LEARNED

A Thursday supplement (belated this week) to the Morning Report for 
new ideas, innovations, and lessons learned that shouldn't have to be 
relearned.

Cape Cod NS (MA) - Electrical Hazard

On June 18th, an employee in seasonal park housing was taking a shower 
when the electricity went off. The employee then received an 
electrical shock that actually knocked her out of the shower but 
otherwise left her uninjured. When park staff investigated the 
incident, they found that three utility company power poles in the 
vicinity of the house had fallen down and that their wires had 
crossed. The electrical charge went to ground in the house's plumbing 
system and shocked the employee. Cape Cod NS is an OSHA partnership 
park and contacted OSHA for advice on possible corrective actions.  
According to several people at OSHA, the employee was very lucky 
indeed. As it turns out, the building code on Cape Cod and in most 
states requires that the electrician connect the ground of the house 
to the plumbing supply pipe. The park housing unit was in compliance 
with this requirement. If a large amount of electricity enters the 
house feeder line, it will blow the main fuse, and then go to the 
ground, which is in turn connected to the plumbing. Before it blows 
the main fuse, it will have about one millisecond to send the large 
amount of electricity through the house wiring and into everything 
that is plugged into the receptacles at that time. Since it's not 
possible to predict if or when a utility pole will come down in a 
storm, the best practice is to simply avoid taking a shower or using 
the phone or computer modem during a storm. OSHA compared this 
precaution to always wearing one's seat belt, since we can't predict 
when a motor vehicle accident will occur. OSHA also said that much of 
southern New England is having problems with telephone and power poles 
getting old and falling down. In general, it is not uncommon for 
utility companies to wait until utility poles come down in a major 
storm before they replace them because they can then use federal storm 
damage funds instead of company funds. Although most of us have heard 
that we should avoid taking a shower or a bath, or use the telephone 
or computer modem during a storm containing lightning or high winds, 
staff at Cape Cod had no idea just how serious the hazard could be. 
Now we know! [Mike Murray, CACO]

                            *  *  *  *  *

The Morning Report solicits entries from the field and central offices 
for its daily and weekly sections (below). The general rule is that 
submissions, whatever the category, should pertain to operations, be 
useful to the field, and have broad significance across the agency. 
Additional details on submission criteria are available from the 
editor at any time (Bill Halainen at NP-DEWA, or 
Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). Ask for either incident reporting criteria 
(issued by WASO, June 18, 2000) or general criteria. 

Daily and weekly sections are available for news or significant 
developments pertaining to:

Field incidents                 Interpretation and visitor services
Natural resource management     Cultural resource management
Operations (WASO only)          Memoranda (WASO only)
Requests/offers of assistance   Park-related web sites
Parks and employees             Media stories on parks
Training, meetings, and events  Queries on operational matters  
Reports on "lessons learned" 

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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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