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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office Day/Date: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 *** NOTICE *** Due to a serious software failure in the editor's PC (requiring some shop work) and impending leave and travel, there will be no further Morning Reports until Thursday, February 28th. All reports received during the interim will be posted on or after that date. INCIDENTS 02-017 - Shenandoah NP (VA) - Follow-up: Serious Employee Injury Park wilderness coordinator S.G. suffered a serious back injury while sledding with his children at Massanutten on the morning of Sunday, January 20th. He was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a "burst fracture" of the lower thoracic area of his spine (T-12) and underwent surgery and physical therapy for the injury. On February 12th, S.G. was released from the hospital, as he had improved significantly since his operation. Through use of a walker and his upper body strength, he is now able to walk for short distances, though he remains dependent on a wheelchair. His motor function is expected to improve with time and further physical therapy, but doctors are unable to predict the extent of his recovery. Improvement in spinal cord injury patients may occur over a time period of from six to twelve months - or longer. S.G. will undergo outpatient physical therapy at Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Hospital in Staunton. His healthy attitude and incredible spirit have been an inspiration to those around him. Messages may be sent to him at wergreen@earthlink.net. Cards may be mailed to his house. Please send a note to Clayton_Jordan@nps.gov for S.G.'s address. [Clayton Jordan, SHEN, 2/19]02-040 - San Juan NHS (PR) - Burglary A break-in at El Morro Fort around 1:30 a.m. on February 11th resulted in property loss estimated at $10,000. This is the third incident of burglary or vandalism at the park in the last two months. The fort was closed for three hours while rangers, FBI agents and state police took fingerprints and conducted an investigation. [Edwin Correa, SPR, SAJU, 2/15] 02-041 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue On the afternoon of February 17th, a 25-year-old woman who was hiking alone fell six feet and struck her head while climbing down a rock obstacle in Hidden Canyon. Visitors heard her calling for help and found her a short time later. They controlled the bleeding she'd sustained from a head laceration and sent a person to the trailhead to summon help. Park SAR personnel reached the woman around 5 p.m. Park medics provided advanced life support and the woman was littered to the trailhead, where she was transferred to a park ambulance and taken to St. George. Doctors at the hospital there determined that she'd sustained an intra-cranial hemorrhage, so she was flown to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas for further treatment. [Chuck Passek, ZION, 2/18] OPERATIONAL NOTES Law Enforcement Dispatch — A work group has been established to draft the chapter in RM-9 on law enforcement dispatch. If you have particular issues or concerns which you would like to see addressed, please send an email message to any of the five group members - Mark Vagos, NERO; Stuart Schneider, NIOB; Einar Olsen, NCRO; Lori Tuttle, GRCA; Bill Tynan, LAME - before March 15th. A draft of the chapter will be distributed to the regions before it is put in final. [Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO] * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |