02-081
Big Bend National Park (TX)
Follow-up: Assault on Rangers
On March 23rd, rangers, with help from Border Patrol
agents, arrested S.F. for DUI. S.F. became combative and
repeatedly resisted attempts to get him into a vehicle for transport.
S.F. kicked and spit on officers, kicked and damaged the door of a
Border Patrol vehicle, and kicked out the window of an NPS vehicle. He
was eventually secured for the 120-mile trip to the county jail in
Alpine, where he was charged with six offenses, including assault on
federal officers. S.F. subsequently hired an attorney and launched a
media campaign, claiming excessive force was used against him, and
threatened to bring criminal charges against the officers involved. He
contacted his congressman, the FBI, and the Office Of Inspector General,
claiming he was physically abused and his civil rights were violated.
The local paper filed a Freedom Of Information Act request, seeking any
past records of allegations of abuse by park rangers. The case received
extensive local media coverage. On August 27th, S.F. signed
a plea agreement in federal district court in which he pled guilty to
five of the six charges in exchange for dismissal of the assault on
federal officers charge. He agreed to pay restitution for damage to the
NPS vehicle, agreed to pay for and submit to a test for communicable
diseases, and stated that "...none of the Rangers and/or Agents
assaulted him or used excessive force against him...that all of the
Rangers and Agents acted professionally, reasonably, and within the
law..." S.F. wrote a letter to the NPS and Border Patrol, apologizing
for his actions and withdrawing the false statements he made to the
local newspaper. He was sentenced by the federal magistrate to 75 days
on two of the counts and is awaiting sentencing by the federal court on
the remaining three counts.
[Submitted by Chief Rangers
Office, Big Bend NP]
02-444
Cape Lookout National Seashore (NC)
Follow-up: Tropical Storm Gustav
The park reopened its administrative offices and visitor center on
Harker Island at 10 a.m. yesterday morning. Ferry service to South Core
Banks and Shackelford Island have resumed, and both overnight concession
facilities have reopened. Little significant damage has been reported at
these locations. Park crews are checking the northern portions of the
park, which remain closed. This area received winds of more than 70 mph
and may have experienced significant flooding.
[Submitted by
Robert Vogel, Superintendent, Cape Lookout NS]
02-449
Canyonlands National Park (UT)
Severe Flash Flooding
On the afternoon of Saturday, September 7th, the park's
Island-in-the-Sky District was buffeted by high winds and torrential
rains - three-quarters of an inch in under an hour. There were numerous
backcountry road washouts and flash floods. The flash floods were the
most significant documented in the district's history. At about 6 p.m. a
family of four from Provo, Utah, was diving up Taylor Canyon. The
four-wheel-drive road winds in and out of a dry wash. Family members saw
a four-inch-high curb of water approaching them down the ash; within a
minute, the water had swelled to the middle of the windshield of their
1998 Humvee, and reached a depth of ten feet only moments thereafter. At
peak flow, the water in the wash was flowing at an estimated 2,000 cubic
feet per second - nearly double the current flow of the Colorado
River. The wash was about 300 feet wide with 55-degree water at peak
flow. The Humvee floated downstream for about four miles over the next
15 minutes. Family members were eventually able to get out of the
vehicle, reach shore and take shelter in an alcove. The father later
told rangers that he'd had to swim with his five-month-old and
three-year-old sons tucked under his arms while his wife was exiting the
Humvee through a window. Later that night, their cries for help were
overhead by nearby campers, who took them in for the night and gave them
a ride out to the district visitor center the following morning. The
$60,000 Humvee was recovered, but is a total loss. The hundred-mile-long
White Rim backcountry road was closed to through traffic at the time of
the report (Monday evening). A damage assessment of the backcountry road
system is being conducted. Cost estimates for the extensive damage
inflicted on the roads will be prepared after the assessment is
completed. The Shafer Trail may take several months to repair and will
remain closed until the work is completed. With luck, repairs at
Upheaval Bottom, Taylor Canyon and Lathrop Canyon will be completed
within the next week. Ranger Paul Downey was the
IC.
[Submitted by Steve Swanke, District Ranger,
Island-in-the-Sky District, Canyonlands NP]
02-450
Glacier National Park
Rescue
E.W., 33, of Seattle, Washington, was climbing the east face
of Mount Wilbur on August 29th when he slipped and fell 60
feet, suffering leg and head injuries. His companion employed a cell
phone to call 911 and the Park Café in St. Mary; a party at the latter
reported the accident to the park. A Minuteman Aviation helicopter took
two rangers - one an EMT - to the mountain. The helicopter deposited the
rangers at a small, primitive landing site. They climbed 400 vertical
feet from that point to reach E.W., who was at the 8,500 foot
elevation. The EMT treated him and he was evacuated by air to Kalispell
Regional Medical Center.
[Submitted by Amy Vanderbilt, Public
Affairs Officer, Glacier NP]
02-451
Zion National Park (UT)
Rescue
The park's SAR team located and rescued a stranded Canadian couple
from a ledge in Russell Gulch on Thursday, September 5th.
M.S. and C.S. of British Colombia had obtained a permit to
hike the popular Subway route two days previously. While hiking to the
Subway, they strayed from their route and descended into the gulch. They
attempted to lower themselves down the first rappel by webbing, which
proved to be too short. M.S. was unable to hold on; he slid
down the webbing, then fell about 15 feet into a pool of water,
sustaining burns on his hand and a laceration to the back of his head.
C.S. followed and received similar burns to her hands, a
laceration around one eye, and an abrasion to one arm. The couple then
found themselves stuck on the ledge, unable to go either up or down. A
helicopter was employed to find the S.s, but strong winds prevented
it from being used to shuttle rescuers and gear to the site. Two SAR
team members hiked into the site and determined that the S.s were
in good shape medically despite their falls. The rest of the SAR team
arrived later with rescue gear and extracted them from the gulch. They
were brought back to their car, where the S.s opted to drive
themselves to the Dixie Regional Medical Center to have their burns
examined. This incident provided a good illustration of the importance
of informing others about planned outings. The permit system provided
the information needed to locate and rescue the lost and stranded
hikers.
[Submitted by Ron Terry, Public Affairs Officer, Zion
NP]
02-452
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HI)
Search and Rescue
Two USGS Biological Resource Division (BRD) volunteers were
completing field work in a dense section of rain forest near the
Thurston lava tube on the afternoon of September 9th when
they decided to separate, then meet back at their vehicle an hour later.
When one of them failed to return by dark, the other notified rangers.
BRD volunteers, volunteer firefighters from a local community,
firefighters from Kilauea Military Camp and rangers began a search for
her shortly thereafter. After about four hours of searching in bad
weather, she was found by ranger Phil Akers and a volunteer firefighter.
They were unable to immediately extricate her from the backcountry,
however, due to the presence of a large earth crack in the area. Ranger
Neil Akana and another volunteer joined them a short time later, and the
two teams were able to carefully and successfully negotiate the
dangerous terrain. The volunteer was tired and wet but uninjured.
[Submitted by John Broward, Incident Commander, Hawaii
Volcanoes NP]
02-453
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Rescue
Park dispatch received a cell phone call from visitor B.S. on
August 29th. B.S. reported that he was "ledged-out" off of
what he thought was the Hermit Trail, but also said that he was able to
see building below him and horses or mules moving on the trail. Rangers
assumed that B.S. was overlooking the Bright Angel Trail and employed a
spotting scope to quickly locate him. B.S. was on an exposed ledge 300
feet below the rim in the Kaibab limestone formation and was waving
toilet paper to attract attention. Following an unsuccessful effort to
traverse the formation to B.S.'s perch, rescuers opted to employ the park
helicopter to recon the area and find the safest route to reach him.
Ranger Hunter Bailey was then lowered from the rim to B.S.'s location,
and both were raised back to the rim. B.S. had traversed off-trail from
the Bright Angel Trail. If he hadn't had a cell phone, no one would have
been aware of his plight, as his shouts were not audible to anyone on
the rim or in the canyon. Although B.S. said that he was planning some
additional off-trail hiking in the canyon, he was provided with strong
counseling and advised to rethink his strategy. Ranger KJ Glover was
incident commander.
[Submitted by Ken Phillips, SAR
Coordinator, Grand Canyon NP]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Situation
Preparedness Level 3
Initial attack was light everywhere on Tuesday. None of the 122 newly-reported fires became large fires. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Added today: Maine.
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
| Date |
9/3 |
9/4 |
9/5 |
9/6 |
9/7 |
9/8 |
9/9 |
9/10 |
| Crews |
307 |
333 |
281 |
263 |
223 |
188 |
142 |
148 |
| Engines |
589 |
605 |
579 |
468 |
446 |
386 |
315 |
406 |
| Helicopters |
103 |
105 |
102 |
92 |
71 |
68 |
50 |
62 |
| Air Tankers |
2 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
| Overhead |
2,611 |
2,463 |
2,468 |
2,623 |
2,426 |
2,247 |
2,002 |
1,720 |
National Team Commitments
New deployments indicated by asterisks.
Type 1 Teams
Studebaker - Curve Fire, Angeles NF, CA
Bennett - Mt. Zirkel Complex, Routt NF, CO
Fire Use Management Teams
Cook - Big Fish Fire, White River NF, CO/Lost Lakes Fire, Routt NF, CO
[Submitted by NICC Incident Management Situation Report]
Park Fire Situation
Yellowstone NP (WY/MT/ID) - The Harebell, Doan, Drainage, Humphreys, Rocky and Fountain Fires have all been declared out. No smoke or heat were detected during an infrared overflight of the 3,600-acre Phlox Fire and the 9,140-acre Broad Fire on Tuesday. Due to their size, they aren't being declared out and are still being monitored.
Mount Rainier NP (WA) - The Seymour Peak Fire has been contained at a tenth of an acre. Another smoke has been reported in Sheepskull Gap, but is thought to be from a snag leftover from a lightning storm several weeks ago. Firefighters were dispatched to the fire yesterday.
Yosemite NP (CA) - Small burnout operations took place on the 992-acre Wolf Fire on Tuesday. Other fires burning in the park are being monitored.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP's (CA) - The Bubbs Creek Fire has been contained at 20 acres and is in patrol status. All crews have been pulled from the 1,300-acre Palisades Fire due to low fire activity; it will be monitored periodically through recon flights.
[Submitted by ; Tina Boehle, NPS Fire Management Program Center]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (IN)
GS-11/12 Fire Management Officer Sought
Indiana Dunes NL has an opening for a GS-11/12 fire management officer. The announcement closes on September 20th. The applicant must be a Type 2 burn boss and a strike team leader (crew or engine). The park is seeking someone with excellent urban interface fire suppression skills, prescribed burn skills, supervisory skills, and organizational skills. Indiana Dunes has an average of 80 wildfire responses in a year; most park fires are small (less than 100 acres), but all have the potential to be up against someone's home within five to forty minutes. One federally endangered species depends on the park's prescribed burn program, so there are between five and seven prescribed burns each year. Operations are regularly conducted in cooperation with staff at two national forests and a hot shot crew that's an hour away. The park has two fire stations, four engines and a fire effects monitoring crew. The FMO oversees the work of 17 permanent staff (nine of them STF) and one seasonal and 20 collateral duty firefighters.
[Submitted by Bob Daum, Indiana Dunes NL]
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.