NPS Morning Report - Sunday, September 23, 2001



                        NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Sunday, September 23, 2001

                           *** NOTICE ***

Flags lowered to half staff in commemoration of the Pentagon and World 
Trade Center tragedies are to be returned to full staff today. No 
guidance has yet been issued by the government on the continued 
wearing of black badge bands and other mourning devices. A directive 
is likely by tomorrow.

01-509 - Servicewide - Follow-up: Terrorist Attacks

The National Park Service continues to provide support to its parks 
and employees, gather information on the status of field areas for 
DOI, and deal with security issues throughout the country, including 
the brokering of numerous requests for operational support. The 
Service's Type 1 incident management team (Skip Brooks, IC) continues 
its operations from the South Interior Building; a regional Type 2 
team from Southeast Region (Bob Panko, IC) is overseeing the NPS 
expanded dispatch operation at Shenandoah NP. A new Type 1 team (Eddie 
Lopez, IC) will take over the incident on Tuesday. The regional Type 2 
team (Rick Brown, IC) that has been supporting operations in Northeast 
Region has demobilized. There have been no changes in park status 
since Friday's Morning Report. [EICC/Type 2 IMT, SHEN, 9/22; NPS Type 
1 IMT, WASO, 9/23]

01-520 - Saguaro NP (AZ) - Arrest of Fleeing Felon

On the evening of Friday, September 14th, ranger Brian Rutledge 
attempted to stop a vehicle for driving at a high rate of speed 
(confirmed by radar as 79 mph in a 50 mph zone) in the Tucson Mountain 
District. The driver pulled over near the park's boundary after a 
short pursuit, but took off again as Rutledge approached him. The 
chase resumed and continued until the driver swung into the front yard 
of a neighborhood residence, bailed out, and fled on foot. Rangers and 
Pima County Sheriff's Department officers closed off the area. An 
Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter was launched and 
provided air support in the subsequent search. The operation was about 
to be called off after several hours of fruitless efforts when a 
citizen called police and reported a person hiding in a residence 
about two miles north of the point where the driver had abandoned his 
vehicle. Deputies found and arrested him and confirmed that he was the 
driver. The vehicle had been stolen in Phoenix the previous week; the 
license plate had been stolen from another vehicle that day. Rangers 
took the man into federal custody and he was booked on several felony 
charges, including vehicle theft and felony flight from law 
enforcement. He was identified as a Mexican national who had illegally 
entered the country. [Robert E. Stinson, DR, SAGU, 9/21]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 2

Three national Type 1 teams continue to support FEMA operations in 
Washington and New York. No changes from previous status reports 
appear in today's NICC summary.

Initial attack was again light nationally. One new large fire was 
reported; one other was contained.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, 
California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington 
and Wyoming.

NICC has not issued any fire watches or warnings for today.

Park Fire Situation

Glacier NP (MT) - The Moose fire has burned 69,635 acres and is 45% 
contained. There's no estimated date for full containment. Summer-like 
conditions and difficult terrain are contributing to control problems. 
Current commitment: 595 firefighters and overhead, including 15 crews; 
23 engines and six helicopters; Type 2 team.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/23]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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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