NOTICES

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White House
Flags At Half-Staff Today

Per order of the White House, flags are to be lowered to half staff today in honor of Bob Hope. They are to return to full staff at sunset.

For details, click on "More Information."
  More Information...

INCIDENTS

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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Houseboat Fire at Bullfrog Fuel Dock

Park dispatch received a 911 call on the morning of July 26th reporting a vessel fire at the Bullfrog Marina fuel dock. Firefighters arrived minutes later and found a large, privately-owned houseboat engulfed in flames. The fire consumed the entire boat, a large section of the fuel dock, and one gas pump. It took firefighters on the park fire boat and an engine crew about a half hour to extinguish the flames. Assisting were to other departments. The fire appears to have originated in the houseboat's engine compartment when vessel was started after fueling. It then spread to the dock and boat, burning the boat to the waterline. At one point, the boat broke loose from the fuel dock, but the firefighters used the front rams on the park fireboat to push the hull to shore before it could sink.
[Submitted by Mike Mayer, Assistant Chief Ranger]

Yosemite National Park (CA)
Serious Employee Injury

At 5:30 a.m. on the morning of July 15th, stock packer O.C., 47, was preparing to pack a string of mules at the Hetch Hetchy corral to supply a trail crew in the park's north backcountry. While he was working with the stock in the coral, a mule pinned him against the five-foot-high steel fence, crushing his chest. Trail crew personnel assisted O.C. and called for help. Mather District rangers responded with the park ambulance, and a helicopter ambulance was dispatched from Modesto. Medics treated O.C., who was having severe chest pain and difficulty breathing, and transported him to meet the helicopter at the Hetch Hetchy helipad. He was flown to Doctors Hospital in Modesto, where he was diagnosed with four broken ribs. He was treated and released the next day. O.C. is recovering well and has returned to light duty.
[Submitted by Greg Lawler, IC/Subdistrict Ranger, Canyon Ranch Subdistrict]

Yosemite National Park (CA)
BASE Jumping Arrests

At dusk on July 15th, Valley rangers were dispatched to the Mirror Lake area in response to a report of BASE jumpers seen coming off Half Dome. About 30 minutes later, three men, each carrying full backpacks that were consistent with concealing BASE gear, were observed briskly walking down the Mirror Lake Loop trail. When rangers questioned them, they gave answers that did not make sense. K.W.H., who was holding a head-sized, ball-shaped object tightly wrapped in a shirt, told rangers that it was just his sweatshirt. Further investigation revealed that it was a skydiving helmet with a digital camcorder attached. K.W.H. and his cohorts, A.D.F. and B.K.C., were all arrested for conspiracy and air delivery. A search of their packs incident to arrest revealed another skydiving helmet and camcorder, three parachutes and harnesses, and two Birdman wingsuits (flight suits with cloth "wings" under the arms and between the legs used to greatly increase horizontal glide and freefall time).
[Submitted by Todd W. Bruno, Ranger, Valley District]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Visitor Killed in Moped Accident

J.C.G., 17, of Montevelo, Alabama, was fatally injured while operating a rental moped on Little River Road on the morning of July 28th. J.C.G. and his father, R.L.G., 42, were riding west on two separate mopeds they had rented from a Gatlinburg rental shop. They had ridden about 11 miles through the park and were about a mile east of the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area when J.C.G. reportedly lost control of his cycle and dumped the bike on the roadway. He was thrown across the centerline and directly into the path of a minivan driven by a visitor from Missouri. J.C.G. was apparently killed instantly when at least one wheel of the van passed over him. The accident occurred as J.C.G. was coming out of a right-hand curve into a straight section. Both J.C.G. and his father were wearing helmets. Rangers were assisted at the scene by paramedics from the Gatlinburg Fire Department. No charges have been filed in the incident.
[Submitted by Rick Brown, District Ranger]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Preparedness Level 5

NIFC reports moderate initial attack in the eastern Great Basin, southern California and the Rockies yesterday. Overall, there were 225 new fires, eight of which became large fires.

Fire Danger

Day	7/25	7/26	7/27	7/28	7/29	7/30
Alaska	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Arizona	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
California	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Colorado	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Hawaii	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Idaho	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Montana	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Nevada	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
New Mexico	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oklahoma	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
South Dakota	--	VX	VX	--	--	VX
Texas	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Utah	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Washington	VX	VX	--	VX	VX	VX
Wyoming	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX

VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme

Fire Weather Watches and Warnings

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been issued for afternoon and evening west winds and low humidity for northwest Montana.

National Resource Commitments

Day	7/24	7/25	7/26	7/27	7/28	7/29	7/30
Crews	475	540	536	538	494	462	386
Engines	925	1,023	983	1,007	865	736	663
Helicopters	160	166	162	166	170	164	148
Air Tankers	2	3	5	4	6	7	5
Overhead	3,951	3,436	3,437	3,337	3,829	3,814	3,286

National Team Commitments

New team commitments or changes in teams are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
ID	ACT	Ribar	Salmon-Challis NF Fires	---	---	---
MT	ACT	Mann	Flathead NF/Glacier NP Fires	---	---	---
MT	T1	Stam	Robert Fire Flathead NF/Glacier NP	12,500	0%	UNK
MT	T1	Raley	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	16,700	35%	9/5
MT	T1	Bennett	Wedge Canyon Fire Flathead NF	20,500	20%	8/18
MT	T1	Frye	Black Frog Complex Bitterroot NF	7,500	30%	UNK
ID	T1	Mortier	Slims Fire Nez Perce NF	3,085	20%	UNK
ID	T1	Martin	Cramer Fire Salmon-Challis NF	5,614	85%	7/31
ID	T1	Sexton	Hot Creek Fire Boise NF	21,260	25%	UNK
WA	T1 ST	Anderson/ Furlong/ Ghormley	Fawn Peak Complex Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	70,296	35%	UNK
OR	T2	Hoff	Kelsay Complex Umpqua NF	500	25%	UNK
MT	T2	Chrisman	Hidden Lake Fire Beaverhead/Deerlodge NF	3,500	70%	UNK
MT	T2	Sandman	Ross Creek Fire Kootenai NF	195	60%	8/2
ID	T2	Kechter	Hunt Creek Fire State Lands	432	35%	8/1
UT	T2	Suwyn	Joe Hatch Fire Moab FO, BLM	250	30%	UNK
CA	T2	Wendt	Ackley Fire Modoc NF	9,940	90%	7/30
WY	T2	Blume	Ditch Creek Fire Bighorn NF	370	85%	7/31
SD	ST2	Jones	Red Point Fire Black Hills NF	17,500	90%	7/30
OR	T2	Morcom	Clark Fire Willamette NF	4,964	70%	8/2
OR	ST	Thorpe	Frog Hollow Fire State Lands	750	30%	8/2
WA	ST	Berndt/ Andring	Hatten Road Fire Spokane District, BLM	12,000	NR	UNK
WA	ST	Jennings	McGinnis Flats Fire Colville Agency	2,245	100%	CND

Fire and Aviation Management
NPS Fire Summary - Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Glacier National Park

An area command team (Rex Mann) is coordinating the Type 1 teams assigned to the Robert, Trapper Creek Complex and Wedge Canyon Fires. The Ross Creek Fire in the Kootenai NF has been added to the area command team's responsibilities. There have been mandatory evacuations of the Lake McDonald Valley, West Glacier and Five Lakes areas. The extended outlook calls for higher temperatures, sunny days and more dry weather.

Robert Fire (12,500 acres; 0% containment) — Gusty northwest winds kept the fire active on Monday night. A major burnout was begun yesterday near park headquarters. Aerial and ground ignition was supplemented with helicopters that made water drops on housing areas and extinguished hot spots. A CL 215 was also used for water drops. Over 300 people attended a public meeting in Columbia Falls on Monday evening. Stam's Type 1 team continues to manage the fire. Resource commitments as of today: 903 firefighters and overhead (including 21 crews), 83 engines and six helicopters.

Trapper Creek Complex (16,700 acres; 35% containment) — Raley's Type 1 team is managing the fire. Resource commitments as of today: 167 firefighters and overhead (including four crews), eight engines and four helicopters. Details on the fires:

• Trapper Creek Fire (14,600 acres; 25% contained) — High winds on Monday night increased fire activity. The facilities at Many Glacier reopened on Monday. The Going to the Sun Highway is open from East Entrance to Logan Pass.
• Wolf Gun Fire (1,600 acres; 35% contained) — The fire continued to be active, making short up hill runs.
• Paul Bunyan Fire (350 acres; 100% contained) — The fire has been contained.

Wedge Canyon Fire (20,500 acres; 20% contained) — About a thousand areas are within the park. Bennett's Type 1 team is managing the fire. Resource commitments as of today: 1,025 firefighters and overhead (including 26 crews), 68 engines and four helicopters.

Mesa Verde National Park

Balcony House Complex (2,750 acres; 100% contained) — The fire is being managed by a Type 3 team. Morefield Campground has reopened.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The park reports five wildland use fires, all under a half acre.

Yosemite National Park

Tamarack Fire (92 acres) — The fire, burning in Mariposa County, is visible from many places along the Wawona Road from Avalanche Creek to the Wawona Tunnel and from the Glacier Point Road. It will be kept north of the Tamarack Trail.

The park also reports four wildland use fires of under a quarter acre that are relatively inactive, and another five — Kibbie Fire (16 acres(, Snow Fire (3.5 acres, (Duncan Fire (2 acres), Cascade Fire (3 acres, and 8000 Fire (1 acre) — that are active.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)
Three GS-7 Seasonal LE Rangers

The park is seeking three seasonal rangers interested in working for the winter season. The season traditionally runs from November through the end of April. Government housing is required. The rangers selected will be responsible for daily patrol by vehicle, airboat, swamp buggy and all terrain vehicles. This is an excellent opportunity to perform resource-based law enforcement in a 700,000 plus acre park. All commissioned seasonal law enforcement rangers are encouraged to apply. Please see www.usajobs.opm.gov for the vacancy announcement. For further information, please contact district ranger Tom Iandimarino at 239-695-1161
[Submitted by Tom Iandimarino, District Ranger]

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.