Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HI)
Tour Helicopter Crash with Four Fatalities
A "mayday" distress call was received from an unknown helicopter just
before 10 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, June 15th. Shortly thereafter,
an NPS contract helicopter already working on a fire and another SAR in
the park located the crash site, which was also on fire. Helicopters
working on the large fire were dispatched to provide bucket drops, and
rangers were flown to the site. They determined that none of the four
people aboard that Hughes 500-D had survived the crash. The helicopter
was owned by Tropical Helicopters, which conducts scenic helicopter
tours of the area. NTSB is on scene; the bodies have been removed and
autopsies will be conducted today. District ranger Gail Minami is IC for
this incident, which is one of four incident commands currently
operating in the park. The other three are for a SAR for a missing
person, the 4,500-acre fire previously reported in the Morning Report,
and the current lava eruption.
[Submitted by Paul Ducasse, Chief
Ranger]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Three Injured in Accident at Bear Jam
Three park visitors were injured on the evening of June 10th when a
vehicle struck them as they were watching two black bears grazing in a
meadow near Calcite Springs, approximately one mile from Tower Junction
in the northeast section of the park. Just prior to the accident, a
ranger directing traffic at the location noted that a number of visitors
had parked their vehicles off to one side of the road, then crossed to
the other side to better view the bears. The ranger was in the process
of clearing traffic when he glanced behind him and saw an unoccupied
white Chrysler PT Cruiser roll away from its parked position, cross both
lanes of traffic, plow into the crowd, and continue down a ten-foot
embankment. One victim, a seven-year-old girl, was knocked down, run
over, and partially trapped under the vehicle; two other victims —
the seven-year-old's sister (eleven years old) and an older male (age
unknown) — were struck and knocked out of the way by the vehicle.
Most of the spectators did not see the vehicle coming. By the time the
ranger reached the accident scene, bystanders had moved the
seven-year-old out from under the vehicle. The ranger immediately called
for assistance. Rangers and staff from throughout the northern portion
of the park responded and provided emergency medical care. The two girls
were transported by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
in Idaho Falls for additional care; the man was transported by ambulance
to Livingston Memorial Hospital in Livingston. The seven-year old is
listed in stable condition; she has two fractured ribs and some
difficulty in breathing. Her sister was treated for an injury to her
left arm and released. The man received some cuts and lacerations and
was also treated and released. Park staff also provided emergency
medical care for anxiety to two witnesses at the scene — one of
them the owner of the vehicle, the other a woman visitor. Both were
treated at the scene and released.
[Submitted by Public Affairs]
Amistad National Recreation Area (TX)
Drug Seizure and Arrest
Rangers and officers participating in a joint task force operation on
June 9th seized 474 pounds of processed marijuana and arrested one man.
The marijuana entered the country by boat, cross the park on the Rio
Grande, then was transported to a ranch adjacent to the park. The man
who was arrested was driving a pickup which appeared to be a
construction company vehicle, complete with amber warning lights,
generator in back, and a hard hat and safety vest on the front seat. He
had disguised the vehicle in order to divert attention from the
smuggling operation. Texas DPS narcotics officers and Customs and Border
Patrol agents also participated.
[Submitted by Bruce Malloy, Chief
Ranger]
Cape Hatteras National Seashore (NC)
Apparent Suicide at Coquina Beach
A park maintenance worker came upon an unconscious man at Coquina
Beach at 7 a.m. on Friday, June 13th. Responding rangers found that he
had a single gunshot wound in his head and recovered a 9mm Ruger
semi-automatic handgun next to him. They also found that the man's name
had been entered into NCIC earlier that day as missing and possibly
suicidal, and that he was from West Columbia, South Carolina. The
medical examiner is conducting an autopsy.
[Submitted by Paul
Stevens, Acting Chief Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
Initial attack was moderate on Monday in the Rockies, Great Basin and Southwest. A total of 221 new fires were reported. Overall, there are two large fires in Arizona (Coconino SF and state land), two in New Mexico (both on the Gila NF), two in Alaska, one in Utah (Uintah/Ouray Agency) and one in Florida.
Fire Danger
|
Day |
6/12 |
6/13 |
6/14 |
6/15 |
6/16 |
6/17 |
|
Alaska |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Arizona |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
California |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
|
Colorado |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Idaho |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
|
Nevada |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
New Mexico |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Oklahoma |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
-- |
-- |
|
Texas |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
VX |
|
Utah |
VX |
VX |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme
Fire Weather Watches and Warnings
No watches or warnings have been posted for today.
National Resource Commitments
|
Day |
6/11 |
6/12 |
6/13 |
6/14 |
6/15 |
6/16 |
6/17 |
|
Crews |
48 |
29 |
47 |
46 |
34 |
61 |
50 |
|
Engines |
58 |
46 |
89 |
82 |
52 |
87 |
123 |
|
Helicopters |
15 |
14 |
14 |
11 |
9 |
18 |
24 |
|
Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
700 |
704 |
720 |
698 |
666 |
1,288 |
796 |
National Team Commitments
|
State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Fire/Location |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
|
AZ |
T2 |
Kvale |
Thomas Fire Apache-Sitgreaves NF |
10,618 |
100% |
CND |
|
NM |
FUM |
Goheen |
Dry Lakes Complex Gila NF |
18,000 |
0% |
UNK |
OPERATIONAL NOTES
NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
New Email Addresses
The NPS office at FLETC has two new mail addresses:
- All email related to WMD PPE should be sent to NPS WMD PPE.
- All email related to the field training program should be sent to NPS Field Training Evaluation Program.
[Submitted by JR Tomasovic]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Mojave National Preserve (CA)
Several Resource and Visitor Protection Positions
The park has numerous vacancies on its resource and visitor protection team:
- GS-9/11 fire management officer
- GS-9 park ranger (LE)
- GS-4/5, 5/6, 6/7 and 7/8 forestry technician
The FMO position will be duty-stationed at park headquarters in Barstow, the ranger will be at Kessler Springs, and the firefighting positions will be at the Hole-in-the-Wall Fire Center. All offer good career development opportunities in a great California desert area. There are also possible dual-career opportunities. For more information, call human resources specialist Teresa Moor at 760-255-8812 or chief ranger Denny Ziemann at 760-255-8802.
[Submitted by Debbie Flores]
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.