- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, August 16, 2002
- Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, August 16, 2002
*** NOTICE ***
Director Mainella has authorized the lowering of all flags to half-staff
at parks and NPS offices across the nation in memory of Park Police
officer Hakim Farthing and NPS ranger Kris Eggle. Uniformed employees
are authorized to wear black bands on their badges; non-uniformed
employees may wear appropriate black mourning devices.
Flags are to be returned to full staff on Sunday, August 18th. The
wearing of mourning devices on badges and civilian clothes is to be
suspended on Sunday as well.
INCIDENTS
02-370 - Organ Pipe Cactus NM (AZ) - Follow-up: Ranger Shot and Killed
Arrangements are nearly complete for the funeral for Kris Eggle, which
will be held in Cadillac, Michigan.
A public viewing will be held at Peterson Funeral Home (205 East Cass
Street, Cadillac, MI 49601; 231-775-3411) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today. The funeral will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. at
Cadillac High School at the corner of Linden and West Haynes Streets.
Following the funeral, there will be a procession to Maple Hill Cemetery
which will include law enforcement vehicles from the NPS and other
agencies. The incident management team coordinating the funeral
activities has asked that as many attending NPS employees as possible
come in marked vehicles (i.e., if more than one of you is coming, please
bring individual vehicles in order to increase the NPS presence). The
interment will be open to the public.
NPS employees who choose to attend should wear Class A summer uniforms.
For further information on funeral arrangements, please call the
incident command post at 231-633-6350.
Intermountain Region has established an internal web site to commemorate
Kris Eggle. You can offer your thoughts and condolences on this web site
and view the thoughts of others about Kris. The content of the web site
will be given to Kris' parents after people have had a chance to
contribute to it. The web site address is:
http://im.den.nps.gov/commemorate.cfm. [Rick Jones, PIO, IMT; Linda
Griffin, IO, IMRO]
02-371 - Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD) - Follow-up: Park Police
Officer Killed
Funeral arrangements have been completed and announced for Park Police
officer Hakim Farthing, who was killed in the line of duty on Saturday,
August 10th.
A memorial service will be held at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield,
Virginia (6911 Braddock Road, Springfield, VA 22151) this morning at 10
a.m., with a police procession to follow immediately thereafter. The
procession will begin after the memorial service at 12:30 p.m. and will
follow a route through northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., before
returning to Springfield. A reception will be held at Immanuel Bible
Church immediately following this procession (2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
There will be a second funeral procession to Philadelphia on Saturday.
It will depart from the Demaine Funeral Home (5308 Backlick Road,
Springfield, Virginia) at 7 a.m. that morning. Law enforcement and
public service agencies are asked to report at 6:30 a.m. at Word of Life
Church at the intersection of Edsall Road and Backlick Road. The
procession to Philadelphia will depart at 7:30 a.m. and be followed by a
viewing at White Rock Baptist Church (53rd and Chestnut Street, West
Philadelphia) from 10 a.m. to noon and a service at noon. The interment
will immediately follow the service and will take place at Ivy Hill
Cemetery on Easton Road in Philadelphia.
The uniform of the day for the Park Police will be long-sleeve shirts
for sergeants and officers and blouses for Anacostia Station, ushers,
HMP, motors, Officer Farthing's recruit class and lieutenants and above.
The uniform of the day for rangers is the summer uniform - flat hat,
summer shirt, no tie.
Lodging has been reserved for those coming to Washington for the funeral
at the Quality Inn at I-395 and Duke Street West in Alexandria,
Virginia. Call either 703-642-3422 or 1-877-782- 1981 and ask for United
States Park Police rooms.
For additional information, call the Park Police Command Center at
202-619-7161 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. After hours calls should be directed
to 202-619-7105. Information or questions regarding honor guard details,
the memorial fund, or escort bagpipes and drummers should be directed to
Chris Jackson at 304-728-0228.
Chief Teresa Chambers has announced that, at the request of the family,
the Park Police has established the "Hakim Farthing Foundation." The
purpose of the foundation is "to provide monies to offset unexpected
expenses and to provide for underprivileged children in the west
Philadelphia area." The foundation has been set-up as a tax-exempt fund
and will be administered by the family. The family will be the sole
custodian of the foundation. Chief Chambers added this observation in a
note regarding the foundation that was sent to all Park Police
employees: "We of the Executive Staff believe that this foundation will
be a worthwhile tribute to Officer Farthing and that it will help the
family to have funds available to them in this time of need." For
further information on the fund, please contact Captain Kevin Hay at
202-690-5000.
Chief Chambers has also transmitted two other memoranda to the force.
The first was sent to all Park Police employees on August 12th and is
entitled "Line of Duty Death of Officer Hakim A. Farthing":
"All of us on the Force were shocked and saddened by the tragic and
untimely death of Officer Hakim A. Farthing on Saturday, August 10. His
death reminds us of the dangers law enforcement officers face every day.
We will all miss Hakim's infectious smile and positive attitude. He was
an outstanding officer who was dedicated to helping those in need. Hakim
is survived by his parents, James and Nancy Farthing, and a sister,
Eshe. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
"Although this incident deeply affected each of us, I am proud of the
manner in which Force personnel have pulled together and displayed a
professional image and demeanor during this trying time.
"At this time, the funeral arrangements have not been finalized;
however, a memorial service is tentatively planned in the Washington
metropolitan area later in the week. Interment will follow in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at a later date. As details are finalized,
they will be disseminated.
"Only time will heal the empty feelings we all have over this tragic
loss. Let us continue to remember our fallen brother and provide
encouragement and support to his family and friends."
The second, transmitted on August 14th, is entitled "Retirement of
Officer Hakim A. Farthing's Badge Number 408":
"The tragic events of August 10, 2002 have left a void in the United
States Park Police family. We all will miss the infectious smile of
Officer Hakim A. Farthing, as well as his dedication to country, the
public, and his fellow officers.
"Although it is true that nothing can be done to bring our friend,
partner, and comrade back to us, we can honor his memory in a very
special way. Therefore, it is with deep sorrow, but also with great
honor that I announce to the United States Park Police family that
Officer Hakim A. Farthing's badge, Number 408, is officially retired
from the roles of active members.
"The badge that Officer Farthing was wearing on the night of this tragic
incident will be enshrined with those of other members who have gone
before him."
[Additional reports pending. . . . .]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Situation
Preparedness Level 4
Initial attack was moderate in the Northwest yesterday and light
elsewhere. Six of the 242 newly-reported fires escaped initial attack.
Two large fires were contained. The U.S. Army task force assigned to the
Tiller Complex in Oregon has been demobilized and is returning to Fort
Riley, Kansas.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in the following states:
* Continued from yesterday - Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon,
Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
* Added today - Rhode Island.
* Removed today - None.
National Resource Commitments
Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu
Date 8/8 8/9 8/10 8/11 8/12 8/13 8/14 8/15
Crews 566 564 561 518 503 481 502 502
Engines 865 876 820 734 754 635 614 703
Helicopters 158 164 160 152 140 135 140 164
Air Tankers 4 3 2 3 7 4 11 10
Overhead 3,989 3,741 3,667 3,429 3,707 3,762 3,505 3,821
Area Commands 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Type 1 IMT 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5
Type 2 IMT 5 5 5 5 5 5 9 9
T1/T2 S/IMT * 2 2 2 1 0 0 1 1
Fire Use IMT 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
* Type 1 and Type 2 state incident management teams
# Information not available
National Fire Warnings and Watches
NICC has posted the following for today:
A RED FLAG WARNING for strong west to northwest winds, low relative humidity and a high
Haines index for the Uinta Basin and mountains of northeastern Utah.
A RED FLAG WARNING for increasing winds, low relative humidity and poor overnight relative
humidity recovery for eastern Washington, northeast Oregon and the Idaho panhandle.
A RED FLAG WARNING for strong winds, low relative humidity and poor overnight relative
humidity recovery for southern Idaho.
A RED FLAG WARNING for dry fuels, high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong west
winds for western Wyoming.
A RED FLAG WARNING for high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong northwest
winds for northeastern Wyoming and the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH for strong winds, high temperatures, low relative humidity and a
high Haines index for northwestern Colorado.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH for low relative humidity and high winds for western Montana.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH for very strong winds, low relative humidity and high fire danger
for south central and southeastern Montana.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH for strong west winds, low relative humidity and high temperatures
for southeastern Wyoming.
Park Fire Situation
Wupatki NM (AZ) - The human-caused Antelope Fire is burning
approximately one mile east of Highway 89 and Forest Road 545 in
grassland and pinyon-juniper. Acreage is estimated at 2,000 with 60%
containment. Up to 1,700 acres of this total is estimated to be on NPS
lands, with the remainder on the Coconino NF. Burnout activities are
planned if winds permit today. Some historic fence was destroyed along
and a number of small archeological sites were burned over. No major
archeological sites were damaged.
Grand Teton NP (WY) - The Crandall Fire (2 acres) is believed to have
started from a spark from a power line on August 14th. Park and
interagency firefighters actively suppressed it. The erratic winds and
the location of power lines in the area made bucket drops difficult. It
was listed as controlled as of 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The fire was located
one mile north of Moose Junction. The Site 255 Fire was an escaped
campfire at the Gros Ventre campground. An ember landed in a barrier
log about 3 feet from the fire ring. The campers extinguished the fire
and a ranger checked it this morning and the fire was out. Redwood N&SP
(CA) - The Biscuit Fire/Zone 2 (28,772 acres, 90% contained) remains on
the northeast side of the North Fork of the Smith River. Roads and
services are still open in the park, although fire restrictions are in
place in the backcountry along with a ban on smoking (except in
developed areas) due to extreme fire danger. Glacier NP (MT) - The
Huckleberry Fire (.25 acre) is now listed as contained, and will be
monitored. The park is also managing five fires as wildland fire use
fires.
Yellowstone NP (WY) - The 80-acre Phlox Fire is currently staffed with
four fire use monitors and four fire effects monitors. Aerial
reconnaissance was not possible on Wednesday due to high winds, but it
appears that active burning was taking place based on the volume of
smoke and fire growth to the east.
Yosemite NP (CA) - The Wolf Complex is being managed as a wildland fire
use somplex. Smoke from the fire is visible from Tioga Road near Siesta
Lake. The fire is burning in sparse fuels. A field crew is thinning the
fuels around the historic lodge at White Wolf and other structure as
part of the structures management plan. There is the possibility that
the White Wolf Campground could be temporarily closed if the Wolf Fire
gets closer.
Additional Information
For additional information on all fires, check the following web sites:
Map of fire locations - http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/firemap.html
Details on all current major fires - http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
Fire news and fire year in perspective - http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report; Judy Chetwin, Fire Information Desk, NIFC]
MEMORANDUM
A memorandum from Director Mainella entitled "Death of Park Ranger Kris
Eggle & U.S. Park Police Office Hakim Farthing" was disseminated to all
NPS employees yesterday. A correction has since been issued. The memo
stated that "he had been an officer with the United States Park Police
for the past two years and previously an NPS employee with the National
Capital Region." Officer Farthing did not work for the NPS in NCR prior
to joining the Park Police; he did, however, serve as a soldier in the
United States Army's "Old Guard" at Arlington National Cemetery and
guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
* * * * *
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the
cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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