NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, April 9, 2002


                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, April 9, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-090 - Grand Canyon NP (AZ) - Two Rescues

A twenty-nine year old New Zealand man was rescued on April 3rd after
falling approximately 100 feet into the Grand Canyon. R.C. fell
from a point on the rim about a quarter mile west of Hopi Point along
Hermit Rest Road on the West Rim. The accident occurred at approximately
1:45 p.m. and was witnessed by the victim's brother, also from New Zealand,
who flagged down a passing park shuttle bus. Ranger/IEMT's Greg Moore and
Peggy Kolar and ranger/paramedic Ken Phillips rappelled to the victim,
reaching him within 25 minutes of the initial call. R.C.'s fall had been
arrested on the very edge of a talus shelf with a 600-foot drop below.
Rescuers determined that R.C. had suffered an open ankle fracture with
severe deformity, a deep scalp laceration, and numerous abrasions, and
found that he was profoundly hypotensive. R.C.'s injuries were stabilized
and he was packaged in a Bauman bag stretcher for a helicopter short-haul
extraction to the canyon rim above. He was then transferred to Guardian Air
Transport by an NPS ambulance for evacuation to Flagstaff Medical Center.
Park pilot Eddie Thoroughgood, who flew the rescue mission, is a native of
New Zealand, and the media in that country have expressed interest in the
story of how one New Zealander rescued another in the United States. Bil
Vandergraff was incident commander. Just as rescue personnel were mounting
their initial response to the R.C. rescue, a call was received about
another serious incident. The initial report indicated that a solo hiker
had fallen in a remote section of the park and had been without food or
water for four days. This report came from the members of a private river
trip via a ground-to-air radio contact with aircraft over the canyon. The
injured hiker, W.K., had fallen in a remote location below the
North Rim. He eventually made his way to the Colorado River and hailed
people on a passing river trip. Immediately upon completion of R.C.'s short
haul extraction, the park helicopter was reconfigured and flew to
Lava/Chuar Canyon with ranger Kristin Fey and ranger/paramedic KJ Glover
aboard. W.K. was found to be suffering from a possible shoulder
dislocation and dehydration. He was airlifted to the South Rim and
transported by ground ambulance to Flagstaff. W.K. is known to park staff,
who conducted a large, multi-day search for him in the past. Ivan Kassovic
was the incident commander. [Bil Vandergraff, GRCA, 4/5]

02-091 - Biscayne NP (FL) - Drowning

Rangers received a call from the Coast Guard on April 5th, soliciting
assistance in finding a man who'd fallen overboard from his boat. The
42-year-old man and his father were trolling and fishing on the reef tract
east of Elliott Key. As the son went to the stern of the boat to check the
fishing lines, a large boat passed by, leaving a wake that tossed the son
overboard. He was not wearing a life vest. The father, who was unfamiliar
with boats, was unable to stop it or reverse the engines, and was
unsuccessful in his efforts to throw a line to his son. The son soon said
that he was getting tired and slipped under the surface. The father was
able to flag down a passing boat about an hour later and reported the
incident. A search ensued that continued through the night. The son's body
was found the following morning. Foul play is not suspected. [Holly Rife,
CR, BISC, 4/8]

02-092 - Shenandoah NP (VA) - Attempted Suicide; Life Saved

On April 2nd, a visitor reported a car parked at the Doyles River overlook
on Skyline Drive with a hose extending from the exhaust pipe into the
driver's compartment. Ranger Kimberly Mayo-Correal responded, but found the
parking lot empty. Mayo-Correal searched for the car and found it pulling
into another overlook. The driver had not taken her anti-depressants for
three days; she had dropped her children, ages 12 and 15, at her mother's
residence, and had left a suicide note. She was taken before a state
magistrate, who placed a detention order on her, then was taken to a
hospital. Investigation revealed that this was her second suicide attempt.
If Mayo-Correal had not intervened, the woman said that she would have
attempted to drive her car over a steep embankment on Skyline Drive or
found a more secluded area to again attempt suicide. [Rick Childs, SHEN,
4/5]

02-093 - Mount Rushmore NM (SD) - Attempted Suicide; Life Saved

On the afternoon of March 27th, rangers Brad Eggers and Eric Nelson came
upon a vehicle parked on a lightly traveled gravel road to a trailhead near
Horsethief Lake approximately one mile west of the park's boundary, a spot
where rangers frequently turn around while patrolling the road. The vehicle
was running, and a hose extended from the exhaust pipe into the passenger
compartment. The rangers approached the vehicle and made contact with a
48-year-old man from Michigan who was conscious but slightly disoriented.
When asked what he was doing, the man replied "I came here to die in
peace." He further stated that he had long wanted to visit Mount Rushmore,
which he had done just prior to his attempted suicide. The man was about a
half-hour into his suicide attempt when the rangers intervened. He was
cooperative as they removed him from the vehicle and provided oxygen and
support until an ambulance arrived and took him to a regional hospital. The
rangers' timely actions most likely saved the man's life. [Mike Pflaum, CR,
MORA, 4/3]

02-094 - Redwood N&SP (CA) - Suicide

On April 4th, personnel from the parks, local law enforcement agencies, the
county SAR team and the Coast Guard located and retrieved the body of a
56-year-old male who apparently committed suicide by jumping off a
150-foot-high sea cliff in Redwood NP. The victim, a local Klamath
resident, was the subject of a search that began on the afternoon of April
3rd.  Acquaintances of the victim reported that he had been despondent for
several weeks and had stated his intent to commit suicide in the park.
[Scott Wanek, REDW, 4/5]

02-095 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Search; Possible Suicide

A motorist reported passing a woman in the middle of the John Coffee
Memorial Bridge in the early evening hours of April 3rd. The mile-long
parkway bridge spans the Tennessee River in Colbert County, Alabama. The
motorist continued across the bridge, but turned around at the first
opportunity (less than a mile further down the road) and returned to check
on the woman. The motorist did not see her on the second trip across the
bridge and alerted county law enforcement officials of a possible suicide
jumper. Federal, state, and county emergency rescue agencies searched the
area during the evening of April 3rd and during the daylight hours of April
4th. The investigation has not uncovered any physical evidence, and, to
date, no missing person report has been filed with local agencies that
matches the description of the woman as provided by the motorist. The
active search of the Tennessee River has been suspended pending additional
information. [Jackie Henman, ACR, NATR, 4/5]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 1

Initial attack was light everywhere on Sunday. Four new large fires were
reported in the South (Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina); two of them -
a 150-acre fire in the Chattahoochee-Oconee NF and a 1,300-acre fire in
Camp Lejeune - were fully contained.

A Type 1 team has been assigned to the 37,600-acre Middle Fire in the Gila
NF. That fire is now 60% contained. Thirteen crews and eight engines are
assigned to the operation.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, New Mexico,
Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas.

National Resource Status

Date              4/3   4/4   4/5   4/6   4/7

Crews             17    12    32    27    24
Engines           38    30    45    39    25
Helicopters       8     10    10    10    8
Air Tankers       0     0     0     0     0
Overhead          173   251   228   249   283

Park Fire Situation

Big Bend NP (TX) - Very dry fuel conditions persist in the park.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme - N/A
Very High - Big Bend NP
High - Hawaii Volcanoes NP, Everglades NP, Delaware Water Gap NRA

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 4/8; NPS Situation summary Report, 4/8]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Chattahoochee River NRA (GA) - On Saturday, March 23rd, the Environmental
Education Alliance of Georgia presented ranger Jerry Hightower with the
Outstanding Lifetime Service Award for the state of Georgia. This is the
highest honor give by this organization to an individual who has made
significant contributions to the field of environmental education. Jerry
has devoted 31 years to a career in environmental education, 25 years of
that with the National Park Service. Jerry was also remembered as the
ranger who received the award as outstanding ranger for the Southeastern
United States during the 75th anniversary of the National Park Service.
[Connie Vogel-Brown, LES, CHAT]

Independence NHP  (PA) ? OPM and Merit Promotion vacancy announcements have
been issued for 20 to 50 GS-5/7/9 ranger (LE) positions. The respective
closing dates are April 17th and April 15th. The duties are diverse and
challenging. The park receives heavy visitation, and special events and
dignitary visits are common. Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are
among the cultural treasures found at the park, which is located in
center-city Philadelphia.  All of the amenities associated with city life
are present. For more information about the positions, please call Erin
Nangle at 215-597-1506. [Joe Nicholson, LE Training Specialist, INDE]

                               *  *  *  *  *

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

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