02-435
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (AL)
Assist; Capital Murder
On August 19th, the Tallapoosa County Sheriff's Department received a
911 call from a rural area about seven miles north of the park in which
the caller reported that a person had been shot in a family dispute and
that the suspects had fled. Ranger Michael Manning was dispatched along
with officers from other agencies in accordance with a general agreement
with the sheriff's department. Manning was the second officer on scene,
right behind John McKelvey, chief of a local police department. Manning
and McKelvey secured the area, and Manning, who is an EMT, began
providing basic life support to the victim, who'd been shot in the
abdomen with a .357. He had both entrance and exit wounds and had lost a
lot of blood. Manning continued with EMS until an ambulance arrived. The
victim was taken to a hospital in Alexander City, here he died from
extensive internal injuries. His assailants were quickly apprehended by
Ashland PD officers about 30 minutes after the shooting and are being
held on capital murder charges. Manning assisted in the investigation.
The victim was the son of a local police officer well-known to Manning
and other officers. [Michael Manning, LES/RPS, HOBE]
02-436
Glacier National Park
Search and Rescue
Backpacker S.S., 45, of Huntsville, Alabama, was found by a
search team on the Dawson/Pitamakan loop trail on the afternoon of
September 2nd following an extended search by the park. He was suffering
from severe dehydration, fatigue and minor injuries. S.S. had been
reported overdue from a solo two-night backpacking trip on the evening
of Friday, August 30th. By Monday, search efforts involved more than 60
park staff, community volunteers and USGS personnel, three dog teams,
and a helicopter from Minuteman Aviation. Teams scoured the search area
throughout the Labor Day weekend, but without luck. At noon on Monday, a
search team member on the trail near Dawson Peak saw a man fitting
S.S.'s description walking toward him and confirmed that he was indeed
the lost hiker. Investigating rangers determined that S.S. apparently
lost the trail he was following the previous Friday after leaving No
Name Lake campground. He became disoriented and descended into the Nyack
Creek Valley behind Mount Morgan, where he fell and sustained minor
injuries while walking down the steep drainage, looking for water. S.S.
realized he was stuck at the bottom of the drainage and began rationing
his food and keeping close to a water source. S.S. said that he'd heard
the helicopter overhead on Saturday, and that he realized by Monday that
he'd have to climb out of the steep ravine if he was to survive. He
described to rangers how he slowly crawled up the nearly vertical slope,
then discovered the loop trail on which he'd originally been hiking.
S.S. was treated by a park medic and reunited with his parents. [Public
Affairs, GLAC]
02-437
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Gas Spill
A gasoline tank being filled at a service station at Old Faithful
overflowed on the evening of August 25th, spilling 400 to 450 gallons of
gasoline. Most of the spill was confined to a concrete containment dike
underneath the tank, but an undetermined amount spread outside the dike.
There's no indication that the gasoline reached any watercourse or
thermal feature. The state was advised and an investigation is underway.
[Public Affairs, YELL]
[Additional reports pending . . . ]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Situation
Preparedness Level 4
Initial attack was moderate in southern California and the northern Rockies on Wednesday and light elsewhere. None of the 172 newly-reported fires escaped initial attack; two large fires were contained. Some highlights from yesterday's report:
• The Biscuit Fire on the Siskiyou and Six Rivers NF's is now 98% contained (up from 92% yesterday). Full containment is expected tomorrow. Considerable resource commitments continue. Along with the incident management teams listed below, there are 44 crews, 54 engines, and 14 helicopters assigned to the fire, which has cost $133 million to suppress to date.
• The Curve Fire on the Angeles NF grew from 14,611 acres on Tuesday to 16,048 yesterday. The fire has so far burned 58 outbuildings and special use cabins and threatens another 200 structures.
• Extreme fire behavior and rapid rates of spread were again reported on the Leona Fire on the Angeles National Forest (4,482 acres). Parts of the Lost Valley and Leona Valley communities have been evacuated.
• The 3,200-acre Commissary Ridge Fire, located 20 miles north of Kemmerer, Wyoming, continues to burn actively, though with less extreme fire behavior than previously reported. Two subdivisions and a number of homes and cabins have been evacuated. Structure protection is in place for 218 residences.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in the following states:
• Continued from last report - Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
• Added since last report - None.
• Removed since last report - New Mexico.
National Resource Commitments
Day Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed
Date 8/28 8/29 8/30 8/31 9/1 9/2 9/3 9/4
================================================================
Crews 366 335 367 361 444 305 307 333
Engines 678 548 538 574 706 464 589 605
Helicopters 143 128 148 120 134 107 103 105
Air Tankers 3 2 1 0 3 3 2 1
Overhead 3,889 3,536 3,526 2,967 3,295 2,551 2,611 2,463
National Team Commitments
New deployments indicated by asterisks.
Area Command Teams
Williams-Rhodes Biscuit Fire, Siskiyou/Six Rivers NR's, OR
Type 1 Teams
Studebaker Curve Fire, Angeles NF, CA
Bennett Mt. Zirkel Complex, Routt NF, CO
Dash Biscuit Fire, Siskiyou/Six Rivers NF's, OR
Lohrey Apple Fire, Umpqua NF, OR
Type 2 Teams
Swope Kraft Spring Fire, Custer NF, MT
Morcom Biscuit Fire, Siskiyou/Six Rivers NF's, OR
Gardner Office Bridge Fire, Willamette NF, OR
Sandman Commissary Ridge Fire, BLM Rock Springs District, WY
State Teams
Durden Squirrel Fire, Shasta-Trinity Unit, CDF, CA
Furlong/Gormley Biscuit Fire, Siskiyou/Six Rivers NF's, OR
Fire Use Management Teams
Cook Big Fish Fire, White River NF, CO/Lost Lakes Fire, Routt NF, CO
National Fire Warnings and Watches
NICC has posted a RED FLAG WARNING for breezy, hot, dry and unstable conditions for northeast Wyoming and the Black Hills today.
Park Fire Situation
Bryce Canyon NP (UT) - There were six new lightning starts on Tuesday. All have been contained.
Yellowstone NP (WY/MT/ID) - There's been little activity on the several fires of varying size burning in the park.
Mount Rainier NP (WA) - The ten-acre Boulder Fire remains active.
Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP's (CA) - The Palisade Fire, being managed for resource benefits, has burned about 1,300 acres. It's expected to continue growing until season-ending moisture arrives in the area.
Yosemite NP (CA) - The 950-acre Wolf Fire has reached the White Wolf access road. Several spot fires have been suppressed east of the road; one spot fire is still active east of the Harden Lake road and north of White Wolf Campground. It's smoke is visible from the Tioga Road near Siesta Lake. Several other small fires are being managed for resource benefits.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Canyonlands National Park (UT)
The Needles District has a vacancy for an enthusiastic GS-7/9 park ranger (law enforcement). The park is recruiting through both merit promotion and to all sources. The merit promotion announcement (SEUG-MP-02) is now on USAJobs, open through September 16th; the OPM all sources announcement will be released soon. The position is permanent, full-time, 6(c) covered, and has required occupancy. The closest towns are Monticello (one hour drive) and Moab (an hour and a half). The Needles District includes a spectacular mix of canyons, arches, and red rock sandstone walls notched by spires and columns. The area features abundant archeological sites, and is rich in unique natural and cultural resources. The Needles and surrounding areas provide opportunities for a wide range of outdoor activities, including hiking, canyoneering, technical rock climbing, mountain biking, and both whitewater and flatwater boating. The peaks of the nearby Manti-LaSal National Forest rise to over 12,000 feet for cool summer hiking and challenging winter backcountry skiing. Rangers in the Needles perform a balanced mix of resource protection, visitor assistance, EMS, SAR, and wildland and structural fire work. They are provided opportunities to cross-train with other districts and to gain experience with operations on the Green and Colorado Rivers. For more information, please contact DR Rich Perch by email or at 435-259-4711 ext. 13. [Peter Fitzmaurice, CR, CANY]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.