NPS Morning Report - Monday, February 4, 2002

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date: Monday, February 4, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-028 - Fort Scott NHS (KS) - Winter Storm Impacts

On Wednesday, January 30th and Thursday, January 31st, a severe winter storm struck southeast and central Kansas, the greater Kansas City area, and western Missouri. In southeast Kansas, where the park is located, it was an ice storm. Heavy accumulations of ice caused trees, power lines, poles and even communications towers to topple. The park lost all power from the afternoon of the 30th until noon on the 31st. Employees were released on Wednesday afternoon and the park was closed on Thursday. Essential staff reported to inspect facilities and get security and fire suppression systems back on line once power was restored, and the park reopened on Friday. Inspection revealed that there was no damage to any park building, but that more than 20 trees were damaged, two or three of which will probably have to be removed. Damage to employee residences was limited to downed limbs and trees and some minor flooding and leaks. The park has offered its assistance to the local community. About 800 customers in Fort Scott lost power; nearly a quarter of a million customers in Kansas City were without electricity, a new record. [Superintendent, FOSC, 2/1]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Case Incident Reporting System Update - TRW Systems and Information Technology Group has been awarded a contract to locate a replacement for CIRS, the current case incident reporting system. In February, TRW will begin an incident reporting needs assessment and will then search for and evaluate existing software systems that meet those needs. They will then prepare a final report with recommendations which will be presented to the incident reporting steering committee, to be delivered on or before August 1st. Within 30 days thereafter, the committee will convene to make the final selection. Representatives from all program areas desiring to capture incident data are members of the steering committee. If you have any questions, contact Dick Powell at 202-208-6350. [Dick Powell, RMD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

"Alternative Dispute Resolution," signed by the associate director for administration on January 30th and sent to the directorate and all regional and associate regional directors. The full text follows:

"This memorandum is a follow-up to my December 19th note to you on conflict resolution resources in the National Park Service. After sending that note to you, some questions have arisen regarding the intersection of the Conflict Resolution (CORE) Program and the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods in grievances and EEO complaints. I appreciate these matters having been brought to my attention and want to provide you with some guidance on the matter so that we can achieve consistency throughout the Service on this subject.

"First, and most important, is the notion that our employees, regardless of their duty station, must have the opportunity to work in an environment that is free from discrimination of any sort and under conditions that help our employees do their jobs in a professional manner every day. Just as National Park visitors want to come to a park, we need to create conditions whereby every employee looks forward to coming to work each day.

"In those circumstances where an issue or concern about the workplace arises and is brought to the attention of a co-worker or supervisor, it is important that we take prompt action to resolve the matter. Direct and open communication and dialogue at the lowest level and directly between the individuals involved should be one of the first steps taken. If the issue remains, the individual who raises the matter may wish to consult with a conflict resolution specialist, a human resources specialist or an EEO counselor. In some cases, an employee may not wish to do so if he or she believes that the simple act of making an inquiry initiates a formal process that once started, cannot be stopped. Others may fear that they will lose confidentiality, fail to meet required time frames or be subjected to retaliation.

"If an employee believes that he or she has been subjected to unlawful discrimination and files an EEO complaint, he or she may choose to resolve the complaint through mediation. Upon letting the EEO counselor know of his or her wishes, the counselor simply contacts a CORE specialist and asks the CORE specialist to serve as the mediator for the case. If the mediation is successful, the EEO case can be closed. If it is not successful, the individual may continue to have the matter heard through formal EEO procedures. In addition, CORE can be used to resolve differences outside the formal EEO or grievance process without affecting adversely the employee's right to pursue those avenues should they so choose. A key goal of the CORE process is to provide a means by which issues can be raised, discussed and addressed before they go the route of a formal complaint.

"I would appreciate it if, in your formal and informal communications with your employees, you would remind them that EEO, employee grievance procedures and CORE work together and are mutually supporting for the benefit of the employee and the Service. To the extent that we are able to do so, I would like to see our informal processes used to solve our problems. If these means are not successful, then more formal processes should be used to address the issue or concern."

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Indiana Dunes NL (IN) - The park is seeking candidates for a GS-025-9 ranger position in its Resource and Visitor Protection Division. The position is covered by 6c. The park has a 24-hour dispatch center and law enforcement activities include a full range of criminal and resource-related incidents typically encountered at an urban/wilderness interface. When fully staffed, the division includes ten permanent and two intermittent commissioned field personnel and one special agent. Jurisdiction is concurrent, commissioned rangers are deputized through the county, and work with over ten local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement personnel are offered many career enhancing collateral duty assignments, including DARE, Youth Conservation Corps, waterfront operations and fee collection programs. The 15,000-acre park is located on the south shore of Lake Michigan and has 14 miles of shoreline. Its about 60 miles southeast of Chicago, so has high visitation - about two million people come annually to experience the park's unique diversity of natural and cultural resources and its many recreational activities (swimming, camping, hiking/biking, fishing, and cross-country skiing). Weather is typical of the Midwest, with temperatures normally ranging from near freezing in the winter to 90 degrees in the summer. No government housing is available, but many reasonably priced houses and rental properties exist in the surrounding communities. All services are immediately available and the national lakeshore can assist employees seeking rental accommodations. There are excellent schools and many amenities. The position is now advertised on the USAJobs website and will be open for three weeks. Interested personnel should contact supervisory park ranger Larry Edwards at 219-926-7561 ext. 314 or assistant chief ranger Joni Jones at ext. 306. [J.D. Swed, CR, INDU]

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MEETING AND EVENTS CALENDAR

This calendar appears every other Monday as an addendum to the Morning Report. Please note:

registration dates close much earlier.

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* February 15 - 19: SOCIETY FOR RANGE MANAGEMENT ANNUAL MEETING, Kansas City, MO. For more information, call 202-565-1177. [Sheila Lee, NCRC/WASO]

April 6 - 7: "LEADERSHIP THAT INFLUENCED THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG," 2002 GETTSYBURG SEMINAR, Gettysburg, PA. The seminar will explore some of the leaders, significant and otherwise, their military campaigns, and other events during the Gettysburg campaign and how they affected the outcome of the war. Attendance will be limited to 160 people. Registration is $65; after March 23rd, the late registration fee of $70 will apply. To register, send a check or money order to Gettysburg National Military Park, 2002 Seminar, 97 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325, Attn: Park Ranger Evangelina Rubalcava. Make checks payable to Eastern National: Year 2002 GNMP Seminar and send no later than March 23rd. For further info, call Evangelina Rubalcava at 717-334-1124 ext. 447. [Katie Lawhon, GETT]

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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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