NPS Morning Report - Tuesday, May 7, 2002



                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Tuesday, May 7, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-135 - Thomas Stone NHS (VA) - Follow-up on Tornado Impacts

The park took a direct hit from the F-5 tornado (261+ mph winds) that
devastated nearby LaPlata, Maryland, on the evening of Sunday, April 28th.
Considerable progress has been made towards recovery since then. Telephone,
electrical and utility systems are back on line. An Americorp crew from
Washington, an NCR hand crew, and a tree crew from George Washington
Parkway have made major inroads in removing destroyed trees along the park
entrance road and around the Thomas Stone Mansion and other park
facilities, and have cleaned up debris from the maintenance facility. The
destroyed maintenance buildings have been removed from the site and
replaced with temporary trailers. The historic tobacco barn, also
destroyed, has been made safe and stabilized for future reconstruction.
Additional assistance was provided by the Fish and Wildlife Service and
neighboring parks. It's estimated that between 500 and 1,000 large trees
have been either damaged or destroyed. The Park Police provided their
helicopter, Eagle 1, for an overflight for aerial documentation of the
damage to the park and the surrounding area. Damage to the park's natural
and cultural resources have been assessed by both park and regional staff.
The park should reopen to the public early this week. The Eastern IMT (Rick
Brown) has departed; chief of maintenance Wayne Sanders remains as the IC.
[Ben Hansel, PR, GEWA/THST, 5/5]

02-150 - Hubbell Trading Post NHS (AZ) - Serious Employee Injury

Off-duty seasonal employee M.Y. fell asleep while driving back
home to Ganado early on the morning of Thursday, May 2nd. His vehicle went
into the oncoming lane and was struck head-on by a heavy duty utility
truck. M.Y. sustained a shattered left femur, hip injuries, and broken
ribs. He was taken by ambulance to Gallup, then flown to a hospital in
Albuquerque, where he underwent several operations. He remains hospitalized
in stable condition. [Mary Furney, HUTR, 5/6]

02-151 - Haleakala NP (HI) - Rescue; Fatality

While taking pictures in the Kipahulu area on May 4th, X.W., 42, of New
York city, slipped and fell into a swift moving stream and was immediately
washed over a small waterfall. Her husband, K.W., 50, was swept into
the water while attempting to rescue his wife. He grabbed and held her
briefly before a large ocean wave came into the mouth of the stream,
washing K.W. up onto a rock in the middle of a pool and pulling X.W. back
into the stream and then into the ten-foot ocean surf. Ranger Jon Liakos
and visitor use assistant Jackie Frost stabilized K.W. in the pool with
lines and a flotation vest, then persuaded him not to attempt to follow his
wife into the ocean surge. Since the water was too swift to pull K.W. to
safety, a county helicopter was summoned. The helicopter extricated K.W.,
then retrieved X.W.'s body. Ranger Ida Hanohano managed a crowd of over 35
extremely distraught bystanders and directed rescuers from other agencies.
She is credited with saving additional lives by successfully persuading
others not to enter the dangerous surf and turbulent stream confluence.
[Karen Newton, Acting Superintendent, HALE, 5/6]

02-152 - Independence NHP (PA) - DUI; Damage to NPS LE Vehicles

A van traveling at a high rate of speed ran through two barricade lines in
front of Independence Hall at 2:15 a.m. on May 1st, causing extensive
damage to two law enforcement vehicles, one of them belonging to Cape
Hatteras NS. Each of the vehicles was moved 180 degrees by the impact. A
ranger on detail to the park was standing in the path of the van and
ordered the driver to stop, but moved to safety as the driver sped up and
headed toward him. No NPS employees were injured. Before a "be on the
lookout" message could be transmitted., a police officer saw the van
heading down a city street, traveling on three wheels while the front
passenger side wheel sprayed sparks. The driver was arrested for DUI and
will be prosecuted through joint efforts by the NPS and Philadelphia PD.
[Calvin Farmer, Acting LES, INDE, 5/6]

02-153 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC/VA) - Homicide

A visitor discovered a body under a brush pile about 200 feet below the
Poagues Mill overlook on the evening of May 5th while searching for a lost
frisbee. The terrain at that location is very steep, and the body was at
the edge of the timber. Due to the terrain and the heavy slash left from
vista clearing, rangers waited until daylight the following morning to
begin recovery. An FBI response team is currently recovering evidence at
the scene. Roanoke County PD and the Virginia State Police are assisting.
The death has been ruled a homicide. [John Garrison, LES, BLRI, 5/6]

02-154 - Lake Meredith NRA (TX) - Rescue

Several rangers were dispatched to the Blue West campground on the evening
of May 5th to rescue a young girl who had fallen into a nearby canyon. The
rangers found that 11-year-old M.R. of Cactus, Texas, had fallen
down a steep slope and was suffering from several leg injuries and a
dislocated knee. Bystanders had carried the girl partway up the steep and
brushy bluff before rangers arrived. The rangers and local EMS personnel
immobilized her and carried her up the remaining slope to a waiting
helicopter that had responded from the regional trauma center in Amarillo.
[Bill Briggs, CR, LAMR, 5/6]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 2

Initial attack was light nationwide on Sunday. A Type 2 team (Hartman) has
been dispatched to the Black Mountain Fire in the Pike-San Isabel NF in
Colorado. The 200-acre fire is threatening about 300 residences. All
subdivisions and private land holdings have been evacuated within a three
mile radius of the fire. Bateman's Type 1 team continues to manage the
15,400-acre Penasco Fire in the Lincoln NF. The fire, now 65% contained,
has burned 13 primary residences and 27 outbuildings. There are two fires
burning in the Okefenokee NWR in Georgia. A fire use management team
(Zimmerman) has assumed command of one of them, the 400-acre Bay Creek
Fire.

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

National Resource Status

                  Sun   Mon   Tue   Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun
Date              4/28  4/29  4/30  5/1   5/2   5/3   5/4   5/5

Crews             26    18    41    52    57    --    58    58
Engines           93    77    112   106   77    --    93    83
Helicopters       13    16    20    20    16    --    19    17
Air Tankers       0     0     1     0     0     --    0     0
Overhead          294   220   343   356   317   --    366   399
Type 1 IMT        --    --    3     3     1     --    1     1
Type 2 IMT        --    --    0     1     0     --    0     1

Park Fire Situation

No new reports.

Park Fire Danger

Extreme - Lake Mead NRA
Very High - Indiana Dunes NL
High - Grand Canyon NP

[NPS Situation Summary Report, 5/6; NICC Incident Management Situation
Report, 5/6]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Safe Transportation of Rifles - Confusion has arisen about the proper and
safe way to carry AR-15 rifles in patrol vehicles, vessels and aircraft.
There is only one way to transport the weapons safely - with the safety on,
the chamber empty, the bolt forward, the dust cover closed, and a magazine
inserted into the magazine well. [Paul Henry, NPS/FLETC]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Ranger Activities Division, WASO (DC) - Lee Dickinson, the Service's
special park uses coordinator, was released from the hospital following her
kidney transplant on Saturday, May 4th. She is recuperating at her
brother's home in Pennsylvania and is doing well. Cards and letters may be
sent to her at the following address: Lee Dickinson, c/o Hagen, 2779
Fischer Road, Hatfield, PA 19440. [Dennis Burnett, RAD/WASO]

Grand Canyon NP (AZ) ? The park expects to fill from three to eight
permanent full-time GS-025-5/7/9 ranger positions over the next two months.
The positions are in the Canyon District (backcountry) and South Rim
District. Dual career couples are especially encouraged to apply. The
Ranger Division has recently undergone major restructuring and there are
many opportunities for unique and fulfilling assignments.  The park is
accepting applications for lateral reassignments from those who meet series
time and grade requirements. Interested applicants may contact Michael
McGinnis (Canyon District, 928-638-7832) or Mark Law (South Rim District,
928-638-7833) for specific information concerning these positions.
Application may be made by submitting a current resume, or OF-612, directly
to Michael or Mark at Grand Canyon National Park , P.O. Box 129, Grand
Canyon., AZ 86023. [Michael McGinnis, Mark Law, GRCA]

C&O Canal NHP (MD/DC) - The park is currently advertising for two GS-5/7/9
LE rangers - one stationed at Cumberland, Maryland, and the other at
Sharpsburg, Maryland. Moving costs may be authorized. If you are interested
in a lateral assignment, please forward you application to: District Ranger
Dwight Dixon, C&O Canal NHP, 1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100, Hagerstown MD
21742. [Dwight Dixon, CHOH]

                               *  *  *  *  *

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

                                --- ### ---