NPS Morning Report - Thursday, November 15, 2001


                       NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, November 15, 2001

INCIDENTS

01-606 — Gateway NRA (NY/NJ) — Assist; Airline Crash

On the morning of November 12th, an American Airlines Airbus 300 crashed
shortly after take off from JFK International Airport. Parts of the
aircraft fell into Jamaica Bay; a large section crashed into a
residential area of Belle Harbor, New York, which is adjacent to Riis
Park. Park Police officers responded from Riis Park and were among the
first emergency responders on the scene. They assisted with securing the
area and evacuating residents from homes in the immediate area of the
crash. The Park Police also closed off access roads to Riis Park and
provided security for that area, which was used as a staging area for
responding emergency units.  USPP marine units and divers checked
Jamaica Bay for casualties and debris.  At the request of the New York
City Police Department, the Park Police provided an officer and a four-
wheel-drive vehicle to help provide security on the beach area of Belle
Harbor. USPP officers and park staff worked  closely with NYPD and the
FBI in setting up one of the hangars on Floyd Bennett Field as a
temporary morgue and another to store debris from the crash site.
Off-duty personnel were called in to assist with the additional security
posts and patrols. Sergeant Robert Kramer suffered a severe hand injury
while evacuating residences and was transported to Staten Island
University Hospital where a severed tendon in his right hand was
reattached. [Lt. John Lauro, USPP, GATE, 11/14; Jose Rosario, CR, GATE,
11/14]

HOMELAND SECURITY

Mount Rushmore NP (SD) — A white powdery substance was discovered
by a ranger in several locations on the walkway of the popular
Presidential Trail and an adjacent interpretive exhibit on the morning
of November 11th. The trail and surrounding areas were closed to the
public. The Rapid City/Pennington County hazmat unit responded,
collected samples, cleaned up the substance, and decontaminated the
area. An FBI agent responded to assist in the investigation. The samples
were taken to the South Dakota State Lab in Pierre that day. Two days
later, the lab reported that the substance had tested negative for
bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, but did not
determine its actual composition. The investigation into the
circumstances of the placement of the substance on the trail continues.
The trail reopened to the public on the morning of November 14th. The
park has received numerous calls from concerned citizens and much local
media interest regarding the incident. On November 13th, another deposit
of an unknown white powder substance was discovered within the park in a
pullout just off Highway 244 a little over a mile west of the visitor
services area. A sample of this substance was collected and sent to the
state lab and the area was decontaminated by the same hazmat unit, Test
results may be available by the end of the day on Friday, November 16th.
[Mike Pflaum, CR, MORU, 11/14]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation — Preparedness Level 2

Initial attack was heavy in the South, moderate in the East, and light
elsewhere on Tuesday. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in
New Jersey, Indiana,  Montana,  North Carolina, Virginia and West
Virginia.

Three Type 1 and two Type 2 teams are committed to fires in the South
— four on complexes in Kentucky, the fifth in Georgia. Fires in
Kentucky had burned about 85,000 acres through Tuesday evening. About
1200 firefighters and overhead have been committed. Ten large fires
continue to burn in West Virginia for a total of about 6,000 acres.

Park Fire Situation

Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) — The Sharp or Lands Creek fire
burned 1,600 acres through Tuesday evening. Significant progress has
been made toward securing the southern perimeter, which is the portion
closest to the park boundary. No structures are threatened. The east and
west sides of the fire are being contained by large creeks; the north
side continues to burn unchecked toward the interior of the park. The
situation looks good. A Type 2 team (Bruce Hill) was to arrive on scene
yesterday. The Green Mountain fire, a multi-jurisdictional fire of 2,200
acres, has been contained, as have a couple of other smaller fires.

Point Reyes NS (CA) — The park burned 146 acres in the McDonald
Omnibus burn units last Friday. The burns were completed ahead of a rain
system which passed through the area over the weekend.

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 11/14; NPS Situation Summary
Report, 11/14]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Follow-up on Veterans Day Weekend Event — To help evaluate the
impacts of the special Veterans Day weekend event, the Washington Office
is encouraging all parks to use available resources (comment cards,
guest and visitor logs, field staff, etc) to gather information about
the weekend's visitors. WASO is trying to get a sense of whether the
public knew about the weekend 's events and what role the parks play in
their lives, particularly in light of the events of September 11th.
Capturing relevant quotes is particularly helpful. Please send any
information you have to David T. Gilbert at HFC. [Carol Anthony, Office
of Communications, WASO]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Harpers Ferry NHP (WV/MD/VA) — The park is seeking applicants for
its soon to be vacant GS- 025-12 chief ranger position. It is 6c covered
position as a secondary administrative position. The park recently
acquired the historic Harpers Ferry train station, which brings with it
significant management challenges, including development and
implementation of a park related fee collection strategy. The Customs
Service will begin construction of a new, state-of- the-art firearms
training facility adjacent to the park in 2002, with completion soon
after. This offers opportunities for additional interagency cooperation,
as an agreement is already in place for the park to use the facility.
Dual career potential exists since the park includes the Harpers Ferry
Center, Mather Training Center, and the Appalachian Trail Park Office.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center is
nearby as well.  This job will provide an intense and diverse exposure
to a wide variety of park management issues. If that isn't enough for
you, complex jurisdictional issues make life in the park even more
interesting. The park is 70 miles from Washington D.C. and you never
know who might be visiting. Opportunities for involvement in regional
and national issues exist.  Applicants with a diverse protection
background, program management experience and community relations skills
are encouraged to apply.  For more information, contact superintendent
Don Campbell at 304-535- 6224, or call outgoing chief ranger Larry
Johnson at 304-535-6232.  The job is currently listed on USAJobs and
closes November 26th. [Larry Johnson, CR, HAFE]

*  *  *  *  *

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

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