NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, July 17, 2002



                           NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                              MORNING REPORT


To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Wednesday, July 17, 2002

INCIDENTS

02-314 - Minute Man NHP  (MA) - Search and Rescue; Attempted Suicide

While running the plate of a vehicle parked overnight in the visitor center
lot on the afternoon of Friday, July 12th, ranger Jennifer Hartley received
notification that the operator's wife had reported him missing and suicidal
late the previous evening.  Empty bottles of alcohol were found at his home
and empty prescription vials of anti-depressants were discovered in the
vehicle. A team of approximately 20 searchers comprised of officers from
surrounding towns and a Massachusetts State Police hasty search team with
four search dogs and a helicopter assisted park personnel with the initial
search until dark. The east half of the Battle Road District was closed off
to the public for the duration of the search. On Saturday, approximately 80
police officers, NASAR volunteers, and dog SAR teams were brought in to
continue the search.  The visitor center remained closed and was used as
the incident command center.  The man was located at noon after having been
in the park for over 48 hours. The incident was declared a save, as EMS
personnel estimated his survivability at no more than another two hours.
[Tom Casey, MIMA, 7/16]

02-315 - Boston NHP (MA) - Unarmed Robbery

On July 6th, rangers received a report that a woman had been robbed at the
Bunker Hill monument. Rangers contacted her and learned that two men had
grabbed her purse as she was walking up the steps to the monument. She was
dragged down several steps before the strap on the purse broke. She
sustained minor injuries in the fall. A vague description of the men was
provided, but rangers were unable to find them. A search of city streets
near the monument resulted in the recovery of the purse and wallet, both
with all contents removed. Boston PD officers and rangers are
investigating. [Glenn Van Neil, SA, BOST, 7/10]

02-316 - Chickasaw NRA (OK) - Rape

On June 28h, a group of seven males and two females, ranging in age from 14
to 21 and all residents of nearby Sulphur, camped in the cold Springs
campground to hold a party in recognition of the return of one of the group
members to the military after leave. A large quantity of alcohol was
consumed during the night. Around 11 p.m., six members of the group left
the campsite. Shortly thereafter, B.A., 21, forcibly raped a
14-year-old at a tent in the campsite. The incident was reported to rangers
about a half hour after midnight. The local FBI special agent was contacted
and assisted with the investigation. B.A. was arrested without incident
with the assistance of county deputies and the FBI. He's been charged in
state court; federal charges are pending. [Ed Cummins, SPR, CHIC, 7/5]

02-317 - Fort Frederica NM (GA) - Suicide

A ranger driving by Bloody Marsh on the morning of July 8th saw several
county PD cruisers in the area and learned that the body of an elderly
woman had been found there. She was the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot
wound. The case is being handled as a suicide. The area was closed for
several hours until the investigation was completed. [Capt. Diana Smith,
SERO, 7/9]

02-318 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Probable Suicide

During the early morning hours of July 8th, a motorist noticed something
unusual under the Highway 96 bridge. When he returned to take a closer
look, he realized it was a body and notified local police. Leipers Fork
rangers Bruce Gagnon and Terry Kelly investigated. The 30-year-old
Nashville man was pronounced dead at the scene. He evidently committed
suicide by jumping off the 155-foot-high Natchez Trace parkway bridge.
[Jackie Henman, ACR, NATR, 7/9]

[Additional reports pending. . . . ]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

National Fire Situation

Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack was moderate in the Northwest and Great Basin and light
elsewhere. Of the 233 newly reported fires, five became project fires -
four in the Northwest and one in the Rockies. Another nine large fires were
contained. A total of 561 crews are now committed.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in 17 states: Arizona,
California, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.

Priorities for large fires in the Southwest, the Rockies and the Great
Basin are being established by the multi-agency coordinating groups for
those areas.

For a map showing the locations of current major fires , click on
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/firemap.html ; for details on all major fires
currently burning, click on http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf or
http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html.

National Resource Commitments

                  Mon   Tue   Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun   Mon   Tue
Date              7/8   7/9   7/10  7/11  7/12  7/13  7/14  7/15  7/16

Crews             264   207   197   178   236   304   423   474   561
Engines           585   444   329   346   460   637   940   990   1,009
Helicopters       141   119   110   93    120   130   171   161   162
Air Tankers       4     4     1     0     6     2     11    8     2
Overhead          2,711 2,141 1,934 1,536 1,671 2,152 2,676 3,287 3,504
Area Commands     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0
Type 1 IMT        3     3     3     1     2     4     6     7     7
Type 2 IMT        7     7     7     9     14    17    23    24    20
T1/T2 S/IMT *     -     -     -     -     -     -     5     5     6
Fire Use IMT            2     1     2     2     1     1     0     1     1

* Type 1 and Type 2 state incident management teams

National Fire Warnings and Watches

NICC has issued a FIRE WEATHER WATCH for today for hot, dry conditions and
isolated to widely scattered dry thunderstorms in the Black Hills.

Park Fire Situation

Yellowstone NP (WY) - The park is dealing with a number of fires, but the
main one continues to be the Broad Fire, which has burned 9,000 acres and
is now 12% contained. Frye's Type 1 team has been assigned to the fire; 235
firefighters/overhead and six helicopters are committed. Favorable weather
conditions yesterday resulted in moderate fire behavior, with individual
and group tree torching. Crews are spiked out and constructing hand lines
along the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to Joseph's Coat Hot
Springs on the south flank.  Type 1 helitankers are being utilized on the
west flank, holding the fire on the east side of the Yellowstone River.
National Park Service facilities and commercial properties at Canyon
Village are threatened.

Some trails and backcountry campsites have been closed near the Broad Fire.
Although none of these areas are immediately threatened, the park closed
them due to unpredictable fire behavior and concerns over public safety.
The following areas have been closed: Specimen Ridge Trail, Agate Creek
Trail, Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail, Astringent and Pelican Creek
Trails closed north of campsite 5B1, north of Fern Lake, and one mile north
of Fern Lake Cabin.  Seven Mile Hole Trail and Washburn Hotsprings/Spur
Trail closed from the summit of Mt. Washburn to the junction with Seven
Mile Hole Trail.

Due to the high fire danger, no wood, charcoal, or open fire is allowed in
any backcountry area in the park.  In the park's frontcountry, fires are
allowed only in designated fire rings at developed campgrounds.  Fires
fueled by liquid fuel and LPG fuel are permitted in the backcountry and
frontcountry only if used in self-contained appliances.

For a recorded message of updated fire information, call 307-344-2580.  For
fire maps and other fire information visit the park's web site at:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/technical/fire/index.htm

[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/17; Public Affairs,
Yellowstone NP, 7/16]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Uniform Program Update - Ramie Lynch from National Capital Region has been
selected as the new Servicewide uniform program manager. He will EOD in
Ranger Activities on August 19th. [Randy Coffman, RAD/WASO]

SAR Pin - The new search and rescue pin to be awarded to civilians who have
rendered direct assistance in a SAR operation of have made significant
contributions to the NPS SAR program in the areas of prevention,
preparedness, training and education is now available to the parks.
Instructions for obtaining and awarding the pin have been sent to
superintendents and regional chief rangers. [Randy Coffman, RAD/WASO]

PARKS AND PEOPLE

Harpers Ferry NHP (MD/WV/VA) - The park is currently recruiting for several
GS-025-5/7/9 permanent protection rangers.  The positions are currently
being advertised through USA Jobs and will close on July 29th. The vacancy
announcement is NPS-HAFE-02-13. We are seeking applicants who have strong
interest in resource-based law enforcement.  HAFE assignments will include
extensive boundary patrols to identify and investigate encroachments, as
well as regular archeological site visits to document the presence or
absence of criminal activity.  We encourage persons to apply who are not
currently in a park ranger (protection) position.  While you may not
compete favorably at the GS-9 level, you may compete very well at the GS-5
or GS-7 level, with promotion potential to the GS-9.  Applicants not
currently in park ranger (protection) positions must be 37 years of age or
younger to be considered. If you're working in some other NPS occupation
but always wanted to be a protection ranger, this may be your chance.
Please share this with your employees who have status (i.e., visitor use
assistants, park guides, forestry technicians, administrative assistants,
biotechs, etc.) and would be good park ranger (protection) candidates.
[Scot McElveen, CR, HAFE]

                               *  *  *  *  *

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

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