NPS Morning Report - Monday, October 1, 2001



                        NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Monday, October 1, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-531 - Santa Monica Mountains NRA (CA) - Assault on Rangers

Rangers Bill Ramsey (NATR) and Patti Briggs (SAMO) were working camp 
security for the Happy Camp fire complex in northern California on 
September 23rd when they contacted two firefighters attempting to 
bring alcohol into the camp. The firefighters gave the rangers their 
alcohol and began returning to their camp when one of them, who had 
apparently been drinking heavily, turned around, charged Ramsey, and 
repeatedly punched him in the face. While Ramsey was attempting to 
subdue the man, Briggs struck the firefighter a number of times with 
an expandable baton, but with little effect. Ramsey was eventually 
able to take the man to the ground, where he was handcuffed. He 
continued to resist for about 15 minutes, kicking and attempting to 
head butt the rangers. Ramsey was cut and bruised on the face in the 
incident; Briggs received bruises on the legs from the man's repeated 
kicks. Both were treated at the scene. The man, who repeatedly 
threatened to kill the rangers and others at the scene, was turned 
over to local sheriff's deputies and arrested for public intoxication. 
An investigation into charges of assault on a federal officer is being 
conducted by the USFS. [Greg Jackson, DR, San Vicente District, SAMO, 
9/29]

01-532 - Ocmulgee NM (GA) - Burglary

On September 22nd, chief ranger Guy LaChine responded from his 
residence to an alarm at the park's maintenance building and found 
that the compound had been broken into. A Bibb County deputy joined 
him. The deputy went around one side of the building and LaChine went 
around the opposite side. As LaChine came around the building, he saw 
the deputy struggling with a 19-year-old man. LaChine drew his weapon 
and ordered the man to desist, but he continued to struggle. LaChine 
then joined the deputy in subduing and arresting the man. They found 
that he'd entered the maintenance building by using a government truck 
as a battering ram, crashing once each into the maintenance building 
and an adjacent storage shed. Damage to the government property was 
placed at $10,000. Investigation revealed that the man suffered from 
autism and had been reported missing from his home in Macon about 
two-and-a-half hours before the incident. He'd entered the park on his 
sister's bicycle. [Guy LaChine, CR, OCMU, 9/29]

01-533 - Gateway NRA (NY/NJ) - Assist; Marine Fire

A fire broke out in the starboard engine room of the 130-foot 
catamaran commuter ferry "Seastreak New York" as it was steaming past 
Sandy Hook en route to New York City on the morning of September 28th. 
The fire was contained and extinguished with an onboard CO2 system, 
but not before a considerable amount of smoke filled the lower 
passenger decks. The ferry diverted to the Coast Guard Station at 
Sandy Hook, where all 198 passengers disembarked. Sandy Hook staff 
assisted the Coast Guard by opening the Fort Hancock post theater and 
directing passengers to it. Park staff also shuttled passengers into 
Highlands, New Jersey - the ferry's point of origin - until the ferry 
company could arrange transportation for those remaining. [Russ 
Wilson, SHU, GATE, 9/28]
 
                   [Additional reports pending....]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 2

Two national Type 1 teams continue to support FEMA operations in New 
York. The incident command post is at the Jacob Javits Convention 
Center in lower Manhattan. The teams are operating a mobilization, 
receiving and distribution center from a warehouse adjacent to the 
convention center. Coordination with the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, the New York City Fire Department and the New York Office of 
Emergency Management for geographic information system needs 
continues. The logistics sections of the teams are providing radio 
equipment, transportation, food, laundry and shower services to 
incident personnel.

Initial attack activity light nationwide on Saturday. Two new large 
fires were reported and two large fires were contained - all in the 
eastern Great Basin. 

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

Park Fire Situation

Glacier NP (MT) - Mop-up and rehabilitation continue on the Moose fire 
(71,000 acres,75% contained). Unstaffed divisions of the fire are 
being monitored from the air. Current commitment: Type 2 team, 523 
FF/OH (including 13 crews), 18 engines, and six helicopters.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 9/30]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Newest NPS Unit - Minidoka Internment National Monument, established 
on January 17, 2001, became the 385th unit of the national park system 
on September 19th following the official transfer of the federal land 
from the Bureau of Reclamation to the NPS. Minidoka Internment NM will 
protect the historic structures within the monument's 72.75 acres and 
provide opportunities for public education and interpretation of an 
important chapter in American history - the internment of Japanese 
Americans during World War II. The park, located in Jerome County in 
south central Idaho, was established in August, 1942, when President 
Roosevelt established the War Relocation Authority (WRA). The WRA 
oversaw the construction of ten relocation centers on federally-owned 
lands to provide more permanent accommodations for the American 
citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry who had been ordered 
to evacuate their homes located within designated military areas. The 
Minidoka Relocation Center, also known as the Hunt Site, operated 
until October, 1945. During its operation, the population reached a 
peak of 9,397 Japanese Americans from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. 
The center included more than 33,000 acres of land, with 
administrative and residential facilities located on approximately 950 
acres. The living conditions at Minidoka were harsh, with internees 
housed in crude barracks and cramped quarters with shared communal 
facilities. Internees engaged in irrigated agriculture, livestock 
production, and light manufacturing to produce food and garments for 
the camp. Approximately 1,000 internees from Minidoka served in the 
United States military, and 54 Japanese-American servicemen from 
Minidoka were killed in action. A management plan is currently being 
developed for the site. [Dave Barna, Public Affairs, WASO]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Mammoth Cave NP - The park has an opening for a GS-025-09 Type 1 
commissioned park ranger. The vacancy will open soon on USA jobs. 
Mammoth Cave National Park is one of only six parks in the U.S. that 
is designated as both an International Biosphere Reserve and a World 
Heritage Site. Mammoth Cave is the longest cave in the world, with 
over 350 miles of known passage. It also has over 53,000 surface acres 
that include approximately 100 miles of horse/hiking trails, 31 miles 
of river, over 100 cave entrances, and over 1,000 archeological sites. 
The job involves frontcountry operations and a variety of backcountry 
work, including boat patrol and horse patrol. The park has exclusive 
federal jurisdiction. The person selected will serve as the park's SAR 
coordinator and boating coordinator. Experience in cave rescue is a 
plus. The park is located in rural Kentucky. Park housing is not 
available, but there are numerous opportunities for property rental or 
purchase at reasonable cost in the surrounding communities. Bowling 
Green, Kentucky, is located approximately 30 miles from park 
headquarters and offers all the amenities, including Western Kentucky 
University.  For more information on this position, please contact the 
Chief Ranger's Office at 270-758-2322. [Marla Davis, MACA]

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TRAINING CALENDAR

Due to its length, the calendar is being posted as a separate message 
(next).

                            *  *  *  *  *

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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