NPS Morning Report - Friday, April 19, 2002



                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, April 19, 2002

                              *** NOTICE ***

President Bush has ordered all United States flags to be flown at half
staff today in commemoration of the funeral of retired Supreme Court
associate justice Byron R. White. Flags are to be at half staff from
sunrise to sunset.

INCIDENTS

02-085 - Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania NMP (VA) - Follow-up on Death of
Employee

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has ruled the deaths of R.K and G.K.
as a murder-suicide. R.K., 60, shot his wife, G.K., 58,
then shot himself sometime on the evening of April 1st. R.K. had
purchased the weapon employed in the shootings several days before the
incident. The motive is thought to have been financial, but probably will
never be known for certain. G.K. was an employee of the NPS for 27 years,
and had been the superintendent's secretary for the nearly a dozen years.
Superintendent Sandy Rives extends his thanks to the entire NPS family and
many friends for their tremendous support over the past two weeks. [Sandy
Rives, FRSP, 4/18]

02-115 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue

Rangers conducted a dramatic and technically challenging rescue of an
injured climber and his companion from Angels Landing in Zion Canyon early
on the morning of Wednesday, April 17th. The two climbers, B.H. and
C.D., both of Jackson, Wyoming, were attempting the Northeast
Buttress Route when B.H. fell approximately 20 feet, injuring his back
and head. The initial call came into park dispatch at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Other climbers in the area said that they had heard cries for help from a
person on Angels Landing. The park immediately began organizing a rescue
team. One of the two climbers was spotted on a ledge about 500 feet below
the summit of Angels Landing, but was too far away for verbal contact. A
helicopter flew over the area and located B.H. and C.D. on a
five-by-twenty-foot ledge. Rescuers and equipment were flown to the top of
Angels Landing, where they began rigging ropes for the 500-foot rappel down
to the climbers. The route was heavily choked with brush and rocks, which
made the descent even more treacherous. A park medic and a local SAR
volunteer reached the climbers at approximately 7:30 p.m. B.H. was
stabilized and preparations began for his evacuation. Meanwhile, three
other SAR personnel began rappelling down to assist with the operation.
Rescuers decided that the best option would be to lower B.H. down
approximately 900 feet to the base of Angels Landing. B.H. was secured in
an evacuation litter and slowly lowered along with two of the rescuers by
the three remaining SAR personnel on the ledge. The park structural fire
engine's spotlight was used to follow the climbers as they made their way
down. They reached the bottom of Angels Landing at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday
morning. B.H. was then carried down a steep, rock-covered slope to the
road, arriving at 1:20 a.m. B.H. was transferred to Zion Canyon Ambulance
for transport to the Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George. Once
B.H. and the two rescuers were safely on the ground, the remaining
rescuers and C.D. rappelled the 900 feet to the base of Angels Landing.
According to chief ranger Aniceto Olais, the rescue was one of the most
technically demanding in Zion in recent years:  "Steep, exposed slopes,
rugged terrain and the fact that it occurred at night made this rescue very
challenging. This is a great example of the skills and teamwork that it
takes to perform under such conditions. We are very proud of all those
involved in this rescue." [Janice Kali, ZION, 4/17]

02-116 - Great Smoky Mountains NP (NC/TN) - Serious Employee Injury

Cades Cove district ranger J.P. was injured in an off-duty
bicycle accident on Little River road in the Blount County section of the
park at 6:30 p.m. on April 16th. Rangers and Rural Metro EMS responded.
J.P. was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, Tennessee,
where he was found to have fractures of the clavicle and the femur just
below his hip. He underwent surgery to repair the femur on April 17th.
J.P. rides regularly with an experienced cycling group and was
accompanied by ten other cyclists at the time of the accident. He's
expected to be in the hospital for several days and have an extended period
of rehabilitation. The case ranger is Mike Siler. [GRSM Communications
Center, 4/18]

02-117 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Wind Storm; Rescue

On April 15th, the entire Lake Mead and Las Vegas area experienced
extremely high southerly winds. Blowing dust and sand reduced visibility
throughout the area. McCarran International Airport was closed for a period
of time, and a local major highway was closed due to zero visibility and a
multi-car accident. Sustained winds were in excess of 35 mph; the National
Weather Service in Las Vegas recorded gusts to 69 mph, and an unofficial
recording in the Las Vegas valley showed a gust that reached 91mph. The
water temperature in Lake Mead was approximately 58 degrees.  Just before
11 a.m., park dispatch received a distress call on marine band radio from a
vessel sinking in the Virgin Basin of Lake Mead. The dispatcher advised all
parties to don life jackets. Radio contact with the vessel was subsequently
lost. Rangers out of the Boulder Basin and Echo Bay responded by boat,
encountering waves up to eight feet in height. The park airplane was
grounded due to the wind conditions, and local helicopters were also
unavailable. One patrol vessel was disabled during the search due to the
conditions. At noon, about an hour after the distress call was received,
rangers aboard a vessel in the Virgin Basin saw the bow of a sunken
houseboat as it crested on the waves and soon came upon and rescued three
people in the water. The rangers then learned that four other people were
unaccounted for. Two of them were found in the water and rescued.  All five
were suffering from varying degrees of hypothermia. The remaining two
missing people were located on a nearby shore, but rangers were unable to
approach due to rough water and waves near shore. Rangers and a Nevada
Division of Wildlife warden on land attempted to reach the two survivors on
shore, but were hampered by the rugged and remote nature of the area. The
66th Air Rescue Squadron out of Nellis AFB dispatched a helicopter and
retrieved the pair. Two of the seven victims were transported to a local
hospital for treatment of hypothermia and near-drowning. [Kevin Hendricks,
ACR, LAME, 4/18]

02-118 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Structural Fire

A structural fire was reported in the Cottonwood Cove trailer village
around 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 12th. The one ranger located at Cottonwood
Cove responded and found that a single-wide trailer was on fire and in
"backdraft" condition. No information was available on whether or not the
trailer was occupied. Local concession employees and Clark County FD
volunteers from Searchlight, Nevada, assisted in attempting to suppress the
fire. The fire vented itself and was beginning to involve a large part of
the trailer when additional park staff arrived from as far away as 45 miles
and began an aggressive attack. There was extensive damage to the interior
of the trailer, but surrounding structures were successfully protected. It
turned out that the trailer was unoccupied. Preliminary investigation
indicates that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction. [Kevin
Hendricks, ACR, LAME, 4/18]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Daily preparation and dissemination of the national fire report has been
temporarily suspended due to lack of activity.

Park Fire Situation

Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Although there have been no new starts in recent
days, the park remains under a red flag warning for dry and windy
conditions.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme - Hawaii Volcanoes NP, Lake Mead NRA
Very High - N/A
High - Indiana Dunes NL

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 4/18]

                               *  *  *  *  *

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

                                --- ### ---