NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, November 6, 2001



                        NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, November 6, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-587 - Olympic NP (WA) - Two MVA's; Multiple Fatalities

Rangers responded to a rollover motor vehicle accident on Highway 101 
in the Lake Crescent District on October 21st. Although the driver and 
five occupants were uninjured, a check on the driver showed an active 
warrant out against him. He was placed in custody in one cruiser while 
his passengers were transported in a separate vehicle. While en route 
to the jail, the rangers came upon a second accident. The driver of a 
Mazda had lost control in a curve and hit a large RV head on. Three of 
the Mazda's occupants, including an eleven-year-old child, were killed 
on impact; the fourth, a five-year-old, suffered minor injuries. None 
of the four were wearing seatbelts. Neither of the occupants of the RV 
was injured. Speed and driving too fast for conditions were 
contributing factors in both accidents.  [Dan Messaros, Acting DR, 
Lake Crescent District, OLYM, 11/4]
 
01-588 - Olympic NP (WA) - Ranger Bitten By Dog

On October 10th, ranger Laurie Axelson was conducting a welfare check 
on a park in-holder at Lake Crescent when she was attacked by one of 
three dogs she encountered while approaching the residence, a 90-pound 
Belgian shepherd. The dog approached Axelson aggressively before the 
attack and bumped her, then grabbed her right thigh and shook her. She 
broke free, but the dog then bit her left hand - Axelson's shooting 
hand. She again broke free and fired a single round from her .45 
caliber service weapon; although she missed, the shot caused the dogs 
to flee. Next door neighbors who were house-sitting arrived within a 
few minutes of the attack, secured the dogs, and assisted her. Two 
park maintenance employees heard Axelson's radio call for assistance, 
responded, and arrived within a few minutes of the attack.  Backup 
rangers arrived shortly thereafter and transported Axelson to a 
hospital 20 minutes away, where she was treated and released later 
that evening. Axelson's injuries included puncture wounds to her thigh 
and a severe avulsion to her left hand. She is currently on light duty 
and is expected to make a full recovery. The offending dog was 
quarantined and subsequently destroyed. [Dan Pontbriand, DR, Lake 
District, OLYM, 11/4]

01-589 - Pea Ridge NMP (AR) - Aggravated Assault; Pursuit

On Thursday, October 11th, ranger Robert Still came upon a vehicle 
accident that occurred just outside the office near park headquarters. 
As Still pulled up, he was approached by a woman who was yelling that 
a man was trying to kill the woman involved in the accident. The 
suspect, C.W., had chased his common law wife, V.S., 
from their nearby residence into the park by vehicle, passing 
other vehicles and attempting to run her off the road. C.W. 
eventually succeeded in forcing V.S. from the highway, where she 
collided with a rock culvert and fencing at park headquarters. 
C.W. then got out of his truck, went over to V.S.'s car, and 
started beating on the windows and screaming obscenities at her.  When 
Still arrived, C.W. ran to his vehicle and fled. Still attempted 
to stop C.W. and a pursuit ensued through the park, then outside 
of the park's boundaries. County units responded to the area to back 
Still.  Meanwhile, park safety officer Sheri Nodine and superintendent 
John Scott began to treat V.S.'s injuries. As they were doing so, 
Nodine discovered a .44 magnum between V.S.'s feet. Scott immediately 
grabbed the weapon from V.S., unloaded it, and secured it. Still and 
county deputies chased C.W. for approximately two miles before he 
was stopped and taken into custody. They found that he had a large 
knife and what appeared to be red phosphorous in his possession (the 
latter is commonly used in methamphetamine production). C.W. was 
the subject of a standoff at a house near the park in August. At that 
time, C.W. shot at V.S. and his neighbors, then barricaded 
himself in the house. The standoff ended when county officers and a 
police dog removed him from the attic, where he still brandished his 
revolver. C.W. is being charged by the state on drug, assault, and 
weapons charges. The park is assisting in the investigation and may 
file additional charges with the US Attorney's Office. [Bob Still, PR, 
PERI, 11/4]

01-590 - Lake Chelan NRA (WA) - Missing Person; Presumed Drowning

On Sunday, October 14th, rangers received a report of a 27-foot 
Bayliner adrift three miles south of Stehekin on Lake Chelan. Rangers 
Craig Brouwer and Ed Pontbriand responded and investigated. They 
determined that the boat had been operated by D.D., 39, of 
Yakima, Washington. Witnesses said that they had seen the boat in the 
area of Bridal Veil Falls on the evening of October 13th, and that the 
boat had remained moored near the falls all that evening. The same 
witnesses said that they then saw the boat adrift a mile further south 
the next morning. A hasty search was conducted in the area, including 
camps and local residences. D.D.'s vehicle was found at a nearby 
marina on the 15th. Yakima County SO investigators found that D.D. had 
not returned to his home or showed up at work. A search was then begun 
with ground teams, search dogs, and helicopters. Ground teams searched 
both shores of the lake on the 16th; on the 17th and 18th, a SAR dog 
was utilized in an effort to locate scent on the lake's surface, but 
the scent was evidently dispersed by the lake's depths (200 to 300 
feet). Olympic NP divers Paul Seyer and Dan Pontbriand searched for 
D.D. at the point where he was last seen, down to a depth of 60 feet. 
Investigators checked the boat and determined that D.D. had attempted 
to use a small, 15 horsepower kicker motor when he found that his main 
engine batteries were dead. In order to use the kicker motor, D.D. had 
to stand on the boat's dive platform. Rangers believe that he fell 
overboard while attempting to start the motor, that he wasn't wearing 
a life jacket, and that alcohol may have been a factor. Innerspace 
Exploration Dive Team, a non-profit diving team from Seattle, will be 
using side-scan sonar this weekend in an attempt to locate D.D.'s 
body.  District Ranger Ed Pontbriand was IC. [Pete Cowan, CR, NOCA, 
11/1]

HOMELAND SECURITY

Boston NHP (MA) - On November 8th, the Navy reopened the USS 
Constitution to the public. The ship has been closed to general 
visitation since the September 11th terrorist attacks. The USS 
Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the 
world, is docked in Charlestown Navy Yard, administered by the park. 
According to the Navy, visiting hours at the USS Constitution will be 
from Thursday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The ship will be closed 
to general visitation on Monday through Wednesday. All restrictions 
currently imposed on airline travel and on those entering federal 
buildings will apply to those visiting the Constitution. [Sean 
Hennessey, BOST]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation - Preparedness Level 2

Initial attack activity was moderate in the South on Sunday and light 
elsewhere. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in 
California, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia .

Stam's Type 1 team is assigned to FEMA to support operations in New 
York City. The team is transitioning, with planning operations being 
turned over to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and logistical 
operations being turned over to the New York Office of Emergency 
Management.

Park Fire Situation

Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) - The park is running extra patrols 
due to dry fuels, downed leaves, high fire danger, and lack of rain. 
Fires are burning around the park, but none within its boundaries.

Shenandoah NP (VA) - Fire danger continues to be very high. No 
precipitation is in the forecast. There have been four starts in the 
last ten days, all presumed to have been due to arson.

Fire Management Notes

No reports.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 11/5]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

V-RAP Update - Efforts are underway to review and upgrade the visitor 
management and resource protection assessment program (V-RAP), a 
system designed to provide consistent and reliable methods for 
determining ranger staffing and support needs. The team, led by Frank 
Dean, assistant superintendent at Point Reyes NS, began work this 
summer and plans to finish its work by March. An effective staffing 
model is critical to the implementation of recommendations made by the 
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in their study of 
the NPS law enforcement program. Work on the V-RAP model began several 
years ago, but the project was put on hold in 1997 due to funding 
shortfalls. The subsequent passage of the Thomas Bill led to a 
mandated study of the ranger law enforcement program. That study, 
completed in early 1999, cited V-RAP as a useful tool for assessing 
staffing shortfalls. In December, 1999, the NPS asked IACP to evaluate 
the Service's LE program and recommend improvements. IACP subsequently 
concurred that V-RAP was a good start and recommended independent 
validation of the model to make it more useful. Review of the V-RAP 
model and expansion to include the non-law enforcement functions that 
rangers perform are the next steps. The IACP report states the NPS 
should apply, study, and refine V-RAP concepts, and  eventually use 
the program throughout the agency. IACP also said that the work should 
be done in a way to satisfy standards of independence, that OMB and 
contract consultants should ultimately be part of the validation team, 
and that independent review and validation will promote congressional 
confidence in the results. Full validation of the model will not be 
possible due to the limited time available, but the team will be 
moving the process forward by reviewing the model, identifying 
shortcomings, and making recommendations on how to complete the 
process. Scope of work statements will then be developed by the team 
so that the validation tasks can be completed by contract 
statisticians or consultants. Team members are attempting to determine 
if there are comparable models in state park systems, and are 
reviewing Firepro to assess the reasons for its success. V-RAP may 
also be linked to the law enforcement needs assessment, and may be 
converted to a Windows-based program. Please contact Frank Dean with 
any questions or suggestions regarding this effort. [Frank Dean, PORE]

MEMORANDA

"FY 2002 Facility Condition Assessment Surveys," signed on October 
29th by the associate director, park operations and education, and 
sent to all regional directors. An informational copy follows:

"In order to comply with direction from Congress and the Department of 
the Interior (DOI) relevant to a supportable and documented backlog of 
deferred maintenance, and to address a material weakness identified by 
the Office of the Inspector General, the National Park Service (NPS) 
is required to have a complete inventory of all its facilities.  The 
NPS inventory of built resources will include information regarding 
facility age, asset type, size, current physical condition, 
functionality, suitability and life expectancy.  The Facility 
Management Software System (FMSS) provides the tools necessary to 
collect and store the asset inventory, to conduct and record both 
annual and comprehensive facility condition assessment surveys, and to 
develop valid and consistent cost estimates to enable correction of 
identified deficiencies.  

"With direction from Congress, in FY 2000, the NPS began 
implementation of FMSS in 30 park units.  In FY 2001, FMSS was 
successfully deployed in an additional 93 park units.  The NPS is 
currently enhancing FMSS with linkages designed to exchange 
information with the Federal Highways Administration and the Quarters 
Management Information System databases, as well as with the NPS 
Project Management Information System.  Additional NPS program data 
linkages are under development.

"The President's FY 2002 budget provides $3.6 million for the 
continuation of the facility condition assessment survey process.  The 
Washington Office (WASO) Park Facility Management Division (PFMD) will 
work with the designated Regional FMSS Coordinators, other regional 
subject matter experts and park staff to conduct facility condition 
assessment surveys in the above mentioned 123 park units to be 
completed in FY 2002 (see Attachment).  Each of the participating park 
units needs to gather basic asset information, develop a complete 
asset inventory and conduct an initial annual facility condition 
assessment survey.  This effort will prepare the NPS for a more in 
depth comprehensive facility condition assessment survey process in FY 
2003, when the budget is anticipated to increase to $11.5 million.  

"In FY 2003, funding of Repair/Rehabilitation projects at the 123 
participating parks will be made available only for facilities that 
have completed an initial annual condition assessment.  Also, future 
year facility-related project approvals for all parks will be 
contingent upon the completion of a condition assessment.   

"The Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards #6, 
'Accounting for Property, Plant, and Equipment' requires the NPS to 
report on all deferred maintenance needs. The FMSS and facility 
condition assessment survey process are fundamental to meeting this 
requirement, and to establishing a NPS facility management program 
that is accountable to the Congress, the DOI, and the public. Once 
fully implemented, the facility condition assessment survey process 
will enable the NPS to accurately calculate funding needs for the 
maintenance and construction programs, to establish priorities for the 
annual Five-Year Deferred Maintenance and Capital Improvement Plan and 
to evaluate the change in a facility's condition.  

"If you have any questions regarding the planning for FY 2002 facility 
condition assessment surveys, please contact Tim Harvey, WASO PFMD at 
202/565-1250."

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Rocky Mountain NP (CO) - Due to the uncertainties of the times and the 
lengthy process required to commission seasonal law enforcement 
rangers, the park has begun recruiting for the 2002 summer season. 
Although the announcements have not yet shown up on USA Jobs, they can 
be obtained at an NPS site - www.sep.nps.gov. The announcements close 
on December 7th. It is imperative that applicants scroll to the bottom 
of the application and fill out the application questions, which are 
screenouts. As part of this recruitment, the park is hoping to fill 
two seasonal law enforcement positions with individuals fluent in 
Spanish, due to our increasing level of visitation from the Hispanic 
community. Questions about the application process can be directed to 
the Kathy Edwards in the park's personnel office at 970-586-1213. [Joe 
Evans, ROMO]

                            *  *  *  *  *

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

                             --- ### ---