02-517
Rocky Mountain National Park (CO)
Poaching Conviction
On January 6, a six-point bull elk was shot and removed from
Horseshoe Park, a roadside area two miles inside the park boundary on
Highway 34. Evidence at the scene indicated that shotguns were used to
shoot the elk from the edge of the road. Acting on a tip from a Denver
police detective, rangers discovered the head and antlers in a storage
unit in Firestone, while the quartered animal remains were found at an
abandoned sugar mill near Longmont. Rangers interviewed five young men,
ages 17 to 19, and received written statements implicating all of them
in the poaching. Successful investigation of the case was made possible
through excellent support from Firestone, Frederick and Longmont Police
Departments and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. A press release to
the Denver Post from the park's PIO provided information to the
public that led to the initial tip. The case was recently prosecuted by
the U.S. Attorney's Office in federal magistrate's court in Denver.
Although prosecution was deferred on the five, they received significant
community service sentences and were ordered to pay substantial sums in
restitution.
[Submitted by Doug Ridley, District Ranger, Fall
River District]
02-518
Boston National Historical Park (MA)
Assist in Capture of Armed Robber
On the evening of September 28, a member of the park's staff stopped
at a Dunkin Donuts while on the way to work and came upon an armed
robbery in progress. The robber fled with the cash register towards the
Bunker Hill Monument. Rangers responded and located a man matching the
suspect's description walking nearby with a woman. The pair fled on
foot, but were confined to the area by the rangers. Before Boston police
officers could arrive, the man was able to slip away. The woman was
arrested, though, and revealed his identity. He was apprehended a few
minutes later. The staff member who came upon the robbery was able to
positively identify the man later that night. Police believe that he
committed a number of robberies in the Charlestown area during the two
weeks previous to his arrest.
[Submitted by Glenn Van Neil,
Special Agent]
02-519
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Attempted Suicide
On the afternoon of September 20, the park communications center
received a garbled cell phone call from a man who said he was going to
kill himself. He provided a general location where his body could be
found; through patience and persistence, the dispatcher was able to
narrow down the location to the Swan Lake Flats area just south of
Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth Subdistrict rangers and helitack personnel
began a search for him, utilizing the park's contract helicopter to
contact numerous hikers in the search area. Two men who'd been hiking
with the caller were found near a small lake in the Fawn Pass area. The
men were wearing camouflage clothing and appeared to have a previous
knowledge of the area. The suicidal male was reported to be on a
heavily-wooded slope with another member of the party. The first ranger
on scene requested backup and took a handgun from one of the two men.
Before backup could arrive by helicopter, the suicidal male came out of
the woods with his friend. Two knives were taken from him and he was
flown by helicopter to the nearest road. Several mandatory appearance
violation notices were issued to the other three members of the group,
including citations for fishing with live bait, possession of illegally
taken fish, and possession of a loaded firearm. The suicidal man was
taken to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital after he agreed to voluntarily
commit himself for evaluation. He'd become despondent following the
sudden breakup of his marriage. His friends decided to take him along on
their backcountry trek so that they could keep an eye on him.
[Submitted by Branch of Law Enforcement Services]
02-520
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (KY,TN)
Apparent Suicide
Rangers were notified of an apparent suicide in the park on the
evening of October 3. Ranger Randy Justice investigated along with local
officers. They found the body of a 58-year-old man in his car in the
parking lot on the East Rim overlook. He had died from a self-inflicted
gunshot wound to his head from a .22 caliber rifle. The man lived just a
few miles away. He had reportedly been divorced recently and was very
depressed. He had previously attempted suicide and was under watch by
the local human resources department. A joint investigation is underway.
[Submitted by Frank Graham, Chief Ranger]
02-521
Valley Forge National Historical Park (PA)
Suicide
Ranger Audry Fortin was on patrol at 2:50 a.m. on September 29 when
she saw a vehicle driving the wrong way on Outerline Drive. When Fortin
stopped the vehicle, she heard a popping sound which was not at first
identified as the sound of a gun shot. When she approached the vehicle,
she saw that the 42-year-old male driver was slumped over the wheel with
a gunshot wound to his head. He died within a few minutes. He'd used a
revolver to shoot himself, but also had a loaded Ruger Mini-14 assault
rifle next to him.
[Submitted by Doug Germeraad, Assistant
Chief Ranger]
02-522
Natchez Trace Parkway (AL,MS,TN)
Attempted Suicide
On the morning of September 19, an interpretive ranger at the Colbert
Ferry VC reported that there was a woman in the parking lot who was
threatening to shoot herself. Rangers, local officers, EMS personnel and
FBI agents responded and negotiated with the woman for two hours. Two
county deputies were able to disarm and handcuff the woman when she
attempted to enter the visitor center restroom. An evaluation for
psychological competency is underway. The same woman had attempted
suicide by overdose at Colbert Ferry three weeks previously. She'd
undergone treatment, but had been released. She's been charged with
possession of a weapon in the park, possession of a loaded weapon, and
disorderly conduct.
[Submitted by Jackie Henman, Assistant
Chief Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Fire Situation
NOTE: This will be the last daily fire report for the year unless the fire situation escalates.
Preparedness Level 2
Sixty new fires were reported yesterday, only one of which escaped initial attack. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oregon.
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
| Date |
10/1 |
10/2 |
10/3 |
10/4 |
10/5 |
10/6 |
10/7 |
10/8 |
| Crews |
52 |
60 |
18 |
15 |
20 |
16 |
26 |
18 |
| Engines |
156 |
196 |
20 |
44 |
56 |
63 |
83 |
67 |
| Helicopters |
23 |
23 |
10 |
9 |
12 |
17 |
16 |
16 |
| Air Tankers |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Overhead |
1,097 |
828 |
141 |
112 |
387 |
362 |
440 |
409 |
National Team Commitments
No incident management teams committed.
National Fire Highlights
No significant fires.
Park Fire Situation
No reports.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Fire and Aviation Management
Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program
Dates: 10/07/2002 - 12/31/2002
Good news for prospective firefighters! The interagency vacancy announcement for the Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program has been extended. The new closing date is December 31, 2002 which is an extension from the amended closing date of September 30, 2002. A roster of qualified candidates will be issued to the participating Parks for applications received by September 30, 2002. Future rounds, if any, will be posted on the USAJOBS website (see below). If no future rounds are required prior to the closing date, a final roster will be issued for all applications received between October 1 and December 31, 2002.
The program, formally known as the National Interagency Joint Apprenticeship Program for Wildland Fire, is designed to allow agencies to hire minimally experienced firefighters or inexperienced individuals and give them standardized high quality training and experience in an accelerated fashion. Apprentices are hired in a permanent full time or permanent subject to furlough position. The full performance level of the position is at the GS-5 level. The employee agrees to a term of apprenticeship of at least two years and must satisfy the requirements of the National Apprenticeship Standards before the apprenticeship agreement is successfully terminated.The apprenticeship program targets individuals with little or no fire experience and, therefore, is open at the GS-3 level. Full performance level in the apprenticeship program is GS-5, Senior Firefighter. If an individual meets the criteria, they may be selected at the GS-4 level or at the full performance level of GS-5. Apprentices may spend quite a bit of time away from home during the first two years of employment. There are two Academies associated with the program and each lasts 30 days. The Basic Academy will be in the spring of the first year of apprenticeship and the Advanced Academy is in the spring of the second year. There is also a requirement that the apprentice complete a minimum of 4,000 work process hours which may require the apprentice to take details away from the duty station. Three NPS units, Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, are participating in the Apprenticeship Program this year. For more information on applying to these jobs see the NPS Fire Jobs website at http://www.nps.gov/fire/jobs/index.htm or the USAJOBS website at http://jsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/summary.asp?OPMControl=IF8435.
Contact Information: Chad Fisher, Fire Management Program Center
[Submitted by Chad Fisher, chad_fisher@nps.gov] More Information...
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.