South Florida Areas
Hurricane Wilma Recovery Operations Begin
The logistics chief and operations chief from the National IMT (JD Swed, IC) traveled to south Florida early Tuesday morning to gather information and deal with the logistical arrangements necessary to support the people needed to assist Everglades, Big Cypress, Biscayne and any other NPS units or cooperators/volunteers who need it. Updated damage assessments were received by the team, regional director and WASO on Tuesday morning. Some employees at Everglades, Big Cypress and Biscayne have still not been accounted for. Cellular communications and land phone lines are still spotty or non-existent and it's likely that employees are fine but still having trouble connecting with their park. Park staffs are working very hard to contact every NPS employee, volunteer and concession employee and check their condition. Tuesday morning's updates on the parks follow. Power, water and communications are still or spotty in all areas. Wind damage to roofs, structures, docks, power lines and downed trees are widespread throughout south Florida. The incident commander, plans chief, finance chief and safety officer traveled on Tuesday afternoon to join the team members at Everglades. The rest of the team will follow as soon as they can be supported logistically.
Big Cypress NP
As of Tuesday morning, there were still 40 park employees unaccounted for. Park staff was preparing to physically visit the homes of employees who hadn't been heard from. A maintenance crew was heading into the park to do a more detailed assessment of damage and report on mitigation needs. Cell and land line communications are still either unreliable or non-existent.
Everglades NP/Dry Tortugas NP
Eighty-four employees have been accounted for. Sixty-two employees were still unaccounted for on Tuesday morning. There are still no or few reliable communications in the park. Thirty power poles on the road into the park have been snapped off at ground level by Wilma. The communications center at Homestead has no electricity but it does have phones operational. It will be used by the park to track down unaccounted employees. The trams at Shark Valley have been damaged and are turned onto their sides. There are trees down on the loop road to Key Largo. There is no power at Key Largo. No damage report was given for Dry Tortugas. Plans call for an overflight of the park today.
Biscayne NP
As Tuesday morning, four more employees had been heard from and five
were still not accounted for. Again, communications issues could
be the primary cause. Park staff planned to travel to headquarters
and the islands on Tuesday to assess damage.
[Submitted by Shauna Dyas, IO, National IMT]
Gulf Coast Areas
Update on Hurricane Katrina Recovery Operations
Jean Lafitte NHP&P/New Orleans Jazz NHP
A Type 3 team (Greg Stiles, IC) is managing the incident.
The stabilization of the historic buildings at Chalmette National Cemetery and Battlefield continued yesterday. Equipment for the demolition of the Chalmette Battlefield visitor center was mobilized and arrived on site. The latter will likely be demolished this coming weekend.
Gulf Islands NS
A Type 3 team (Rich Degnan, IC) is managing the incident.
Over the weekend, the IMT began supporting the NPS response to Hurricane Wilma. Supplies that will be crucial to south Florida were cataloged and packed for transport. An inventory of provisions was forwarded to the National IMT in Orlando.
Monday's welcome cold front, unfortunately, brought enough wind to knock down an apparently healthy tree into the newly installed temporary visitor contact station. A day's work should make things right again. Electricians ran lines to power up the contact station and lift station. Trenching is complete and PVC electrical piping has been installed. Sewer and water lines were installed and are ready for hook-up to the Ocean Springs water supply.
Interior painting by a contractor continues in the NPS housing that remains at Davis Bayou. Out on the islands, debris consolidation is complete. The park's landing craft has been out of service for repairs for over a week. Its return is eagerly awaited so that debris removal can be completed.
Additional Information
A web site has been established as a repository for official
documents related to hurricane recovery operations: http://inside
.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=15&lv=1.
[Submitted by Barb Stewart, IO, IMT, GUIS; Greg Stiles, IC, IMT,
JELA/JAZZ]
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park (CO)
Overnight Rescue of Seriously Injured Climber
On Saturday, October 22nd, a 37-year-old male climber fell approximately 60 feet while leading the third pitch of the Escape Artist (III, 5.10-) in SOB Gully. The climber hit a small ledge midway through the fall and was caught by his belayer approximately 25 feet above the belay ledge. The climbing party then began a self-rescue, aided by another party on the route. Two other climbers passed the injured party and finished their climb in order to notify park staff. The injured climber was lowered several hundred feet to a ledge in SOB Gully to await rescue. At approximately 6 p.m., a hasty team of park climbing VIPs descended the gully and began initial treatment of the injured climber. At approximately 9 p.m., a second team, led by two ranger/EMT's and a Montrose County paramedic, descended the gully. The injured party was stabilized and treated through the night. On Sunday, a team of six climbing VIPs descended the gully to assist with lowering operations. The injured climber was lowered 100 feet off a ledge and approximately 1,200 feet down the gully to the Gunnison River, then carried a quarter mile downstream to a helicopter landing zone. He was airlifted out of the canyon and transported to Montrose Memorial Hospital, where he is in an ICU recovering from surgery. The total extent of injuries is still unknown, but he suffered multiple femur fractures, significant internal bleeding, and fractures in both feet. Patient care and the speed of the rescue operation substantially reduced further injuries. The successful rescue would not have been possible without the efforts of several groups of climbers staying in the park over the weekend. The work of park staff, local agencies, climbing volunteers, and the climbing party involved in the accident without question led to a life saved. [Submitted by Linda Alick, Chief Ranger]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Four Arrested After Brawl at Saloon Spills Into Park
Just before 1 a.m. on October 20th, park dispatch received a report of a fight involving guns in the street outside the Blue Goose Saloon in Gardiner, Montana. The Blue Goose Saloon is located approximately five feet outside of the park's boundary. The incident began when four people got into an argument over a pool game at the Blue Goose. When the foursome, accompanied by several other bar patrons, walked out the front door of the bar, they entered Yellowstone National Park. A fight involving several people ensued and escalated when one of them struck another in the head with a beer bottle. That person responded by pulling a knife, and his assailant further escalated by pulling a handgun. Three people sustained minor injuries, but nobody was injured by either gun or knife. The one on-duty ranger and a Park County SO sergeant responded. The two primary suspects were taken into custody minutes later following a felony car stop inside the park. Charges included criminal endangerment, DUI, assault, possession of a loaded firearm and disorderly conduct. Following an investigation, two other people involved in the fight were also charged. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office, as the principal events and the arrests occurred inside the park. [Submitted by Brian Smith, Special Agent In Charge]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire/Incident Highlights — Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Preparedness Level 2
NIFC reported 40 new fires yesterday. None escaped initial attack. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Arizona, California, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
NPS Fires
For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
| Park | State | Fire | Type | Acres | Percent Contain |
Est. Full Contain |
| Lassen Volcanic National Park | CA | Prospect Peak - Phase 3 | Prescribed Fire Treatment | Current project is phase 3 which includes 2,760 acres. Tota... See below for more... | 10/26/2005 | |
 |
||||||
| Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | CA | Highbridge East Prescribed Fire | Prescribed Fire Treatment | 400 acres finsihed of 840 total | November 4, 2005 | |
|
||||||
| Wind Cave National Park | SD | Tower Prescribed Burn | Prescribed Fire Treatment | 100 | 10/26/2005 | |
|
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National/State Team Commitments
Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Changes in the status of a fire (type of team, change from a fire to a complex, etc.) are also noted in boldface. Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name.
|
State |
Agency |
Team |
IC |
Hurricane Response |
Tasks |
|
TX |
FEMA |
ACT |
Williams-Rhodes |
Hurricane Katrina/Rita, Austin, TX |
Coordinating relief efforts |
|
FL |
FEMA |
T1 |
Gelobter |
Hurricane Wilma, Jacksonville, FL |
Managing receiving/distribution center |
|
FL |
FEMA |
T1 |
Pincha-Tulley |
Hurricane Wilma, Homestead, FL |
Base camp, receiving/distribution center |
|
LA |
FEMA |
T2 |
Carlson |
Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, LA |
Managing support base and satellite camps |
|
LA |
FEMA |
T2 |
Floyd |
Hurricane Katrina, Bossier City, LA |
Managing receiving/distribution center |
|
LA |
FEMA |
T2 |
Goheen |
Hurricane Katrina, Pineville, LA |
Managing mobilization center, base camp |
|
LA |
FEMA |
T2 |
Lafave |
Hurricane Katrina, Stennis Space Center, MS |
Managing distribution sites |
|
MS |
FEMA |
T2 |
Morcom |
Hurricane Katrina, Gulfport, MS |
Managing base camps |
National Resource Commitments
|
Date |
10/16 |
10/17 |
10/19 |
10/20 |
10/23 |
10/24 |
10/25 |
|
Crews |
9 |
9 |
9 |
10 |
8 |
12 |
12 |
|
Engines |
27 |
34 |
47 |
39 |
35 |
46 |
58 |
|
Helicopters |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
|
Air Tankers |
17 |
17 |
17 |
17 |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
14 |
17 |
44 |
36 |
44 |
50 |
48 |
Further Information
This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:
Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
Information on NPS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) and on park fires can be found at:
FAM — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Chief Information Officer
Changes To Hiring Process For New Employees
October 28th marks the day that a new process goes into effect across the federal government for bringing on board new employees, contractors, volunteers, interns, guest researchers, and seasonals. The new process, required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201, mandates that each new employee have at least a national agency check with inquiries (NACI) begun (but only the national agency check (NAC) portion completed favorably) prior to the first day on the job.
To initiate an NACI, the prospective new employee's supervisor, contracting officer's representative (COR), contracting officer's technical representative (COTR), volunteer coordinator, or manager (throughout the rest of this article these people will be referred to as "sponsor") will need to fill out a personal identity verification (PIV) request form and submit it to the local human resources office. The form is currently being finalized by DOI's HR office and will be posted on InsideNPS at the link listed below. In addition to initiating the PIV process, the sponsor must complete the "Sponsor, Registrar and Issuer" training also found at the link listed below.
The prospective new employee will need to fill out and submit several forms to complete the NACI: OPM Standard Form 85 or 85P, FD 258 (fingerprint card), Release to Obtain Credit Information., and the employee section of PIV request form.
If you're interested in learning more about the NPS HSPD-12 project, please visit the following link on InsideNPS.
[Submitted by Frank Menzer, Frank_Menzer@nps.gov, 202-354-2089]
More Information...
Fire and Aviation Management
Fireline Leadership/ Incident Leadership Courses in FY06
Dates: L-380: Boise, ID - May 1-5, 2006; L-381: Nebraska City, NE - January 30 - February 3, 2006;
L-381: GOGA - March 20-24, 2006.
Location: See above.
P86(NIFC)
October 13, 2005
Memorandum
To: Regional Fire Management Officers
Park Fire Management Officers
From: NPS Fire Director, NIFC
Subject: L-380, Fireline Leadership and L-381, Incident Leadership courses in FY06
The Fire Management Program Center will be hosting one L-380, Fireline Leadership, course and two L-381, Incident Leadership, courses in Fiscal 2006. Information on course content can be found at http://mcsolutions.com/MCS-Wildland.htm. There will be no tuition for these courses. The sending unit is only responsible for normal travel, per diem, etc.
L-380, Fireline Leadership, will be held at the Great Basin Training Unit in Boise, Idaho, May 1-5, 2006. National Park Service employees will receive first priority in this session. Please send nominations to Chad Fisher by November 30, 2005. The primary target audience should be qualified as a single resource boss, unit leader, or higher. This session is being advertised concurrently at: http://nationalfiretraining.net/schedule/default.php?s_area=5&course_nameDIR=ASC&course_id=243&course_nameOrder=Sorter_starts&course_nameDir=ASC&course_namePage=2.
L-381, Incident Leadership, will be held in two locations. The first session will be January 30-February 3, 2006 at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center, Nebraska City, NE. The primary target audience should be qualified as a single resource boss or higher. Nominations for this course should be sent to Chad Fisher at the Fire Management Program Center by November 30, 2005.
The second Incident Leadership course will be held at Golden Gate National Recreation Area March 20-24, 2006. Again the target audience should be qualified as a single resource boss, incident commander type four, or higher. A training announcement will be forthcoming from the Pacific West Region outlining the nomination process.
For more information on these courses please contact Chad Fisher via email or at (208) 387-5221 or the Fire Management Program Center, located at 3833 S. Development Ave., Boise, ID 83715.
[Submitted by Chad Fisher, chad_fisher@nps.gov, 208-387-5221]
More Information...
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Hot Springs National Park (AR)
Two GS-025-09 LE Ranger Positions
Hot Springs National Park is seeking qualified applicants interested in a lateral reassignment for either of two GS-025-09 law enforcement ranger positions. Hot Springs National Park, the first unit receiving designation in the National Park System, is a 5,500-acre park located in the scenic Ouachita Mountains. Hot Springs, Arkansas, is a rapidly growing city with a multi-cultural population. Numerous lakes, mountain trails and other natural features are located in the vicinity. The park is seeking dynamic, self-motivated individuals interested in joining an expanding law enforcement operation. Duties involve a mix of urban and resource law enforcement activities. Moving expenses will be paid by the park. Check out the park and the area by going to these websites at http://www.nps.gov/hosp and http://www.hotsprings.org . For more information contact Tricia Horn, HR assistant, at 501-624-3383 ext 605 or e-mail her at tricia_horn@nps.gov.
[Submitted by Gail Sears]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found by clicking here. 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 Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.