Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Park Contract Helicopter Crashes
The park's helicopter, contracted from Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, crashed two miles north of the park boundary just before 5 p.m. on October 16th. There were no injuries. The McDonnell Douglas 900 Explorer had just completed a reconnaissance flight of the Poplar Fire Complex on the North Rim and was en route to a landing zone on the North District of the Kaibab NF when the controls failed while the pilot was on final. The helicopter rolled onto its left side and was severely damaged. On board were pilot M. Borden Miller (10,000 hours of flying time over 25 years), Kaibab NF district FMO Russ Truman, park helicopter manager Mark Murray, Poplar Fire IC Lynn Emerick, and acting North Rim unit manager Mark McCutcheon. All five were taken to Kane County Hospital in Kanab, Utah, for evaluation, then released. A multi-agency investigation is underway.
[Submitted by Dawn O'Sickey, Public Affairs]
Canyon De Chelly National Monument (AZ)
Suicide and Falling Fatality at Face Rock Overlook
Ranger Chris Blacksheep came upon a parked vehicle at Face Rock
overlook on Spider Rock Road on the morning of Sunday, October 12th. He
found the body of a woman in the passenger seat and a note with
instructions to notify her daughter. The Navajo Nation Police Department
and Apache County Sheriff's Department were contacted; officers from the
latter took the lead in the investigation. When the woman's daughter was
contacted, officers found that she had left her home in Maryland with
her husband. A search was begun the next day in the area below the
overlook, which is at the edge of a sheer, thousand-foot sandstone
cliff. On Tuesday morning, the woman's husband was found about 400 feet
below the rim at the top of a talus stone. A state police helicopter
arrived, but could not land in the canyon due to turbulence. The body
was subsequently recovered and brought out by vehicle later that
afternoon.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Tunnel Accident with Two Fatalities, Three Injuries
The driver of a vehicle passing through Tanbark Tunnel at MM 370 on
the parkway lost control of his car, which glanced off the right wall,
veered into the center of the road, then turned sharply back into the
right tunnel wall and struck it at a 45 degree angle. Killed were M.M.,
79, and M.R., 87; injured were the driver, J.M.,
81, F.M., 82, and H.M., 84. The driver was the brother
of both of the women who were killed. All five were from Habersham
County, Georgia, and were members of a vocal group that has been
included in recordings collected by the Smithsonian. The case ranger is
Mike Clarke.
[Submitted by John Garrison, Law Enforcement
Specialist]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
Final Draft of RM 51 and EMS Manual Available for Field Review
The final drafts of Reference Manual 51 and the National Park Service EMS Field Manual have been posted on the NPS internal web site, found at: http://inside.nps.gov/programs/program.cfm?prog=177&div=45&page=home. These documents contain information pertaining to regulations, policies and procedures applicable to EMS field operations. They are being made available for field review. The draft of the accompanying Director's Order 51 is being channeled through the Office of Policy and the Director's Office and will eventually be posted in the Federal Register for 60 day comment.
[Submitted by Randy Coffman, Branch Chief]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Western Arctic National Parklands (AK)
GS-025-12 Park Ranger (LE/Pilot)
The park is seeking applications from people eligible for noncompetitive reassignment to a permanent, full-time position as a GS-025-12 park ranger (law enforcement/airplane pilot). Applicants must hold Type I commissions, be covered by 6c, and be OAS-certified pilots (or be able to obtain OAS certification within a short time). Western Arctic National Parklands is comprised of four national parks in northwest Alaska. The duty station is Kotzebue. Like some other Alaska parks, there are no roads to Kotzebue. It is a bush community with the typical facilities you would expect of a remote town with a population of fewer than 3,000. Park housing is available.This assignment provides a rare opportunity to experience a memorable lifestyle. Because of the remote location, employees in Alaska also receive a non-taxable 25% cost-of-living allowance in addition to base pay. Tour renewal travel is provided to employees who relocate from outside Alaska to parks in Alaska, which means that transportation costs are provided for round-trip travel for employees and their immediate families to travel outside Alaska after completing two years of continuous service at the park. This enntitlement is limited to two round-trips within the first five years of continuous duty in Alaska and is based on the equivalent of round-trip costs between the employee's home of record and duty station in Alaska. For specific information about the position or the area, please contact chief ranger Lindy Russell at 907-442-8311. If you are interested in the position, please send an application to Lindy by October 31st. The address is Western Arctic National Parklands, P.O. Box 1029, Kotzebue, Alaska 99752. Taikuu (Inupiaq for thank you)!
[Submitted by Lindy Russell, Chief 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.