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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Wednesday, May 24, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Grand Canyon NP Technical Rescue Park dispatch received a call reporting a serious fall from the South Rim just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday, May 17th. A 23-year-old employee of Xanterra Parks and Resorts had been celebrating his birthday by drinking through the night with two companions. The trio had climbed down to a point 70 feet below the South Rim near Verkamp's Curio Store. The victim then climbed to the top of a 20-foot-tall rock pinnacle which jutted out into the canyon, lost his grip, fell and struck a small saddle, then attempted to arrest his continued fall by grabbing at some vegetation. His companions watched as he fell out of sight in the darkness. They called to him but received no response, so climbed out of the canyon and called 911. The first ranger on scene was able to get a voice response from the man. He immediately rigged and rappelled 120 feet down to him and secured him outside of the rock fall zone. Other rescuers arrived on scene and rigged for a technical raising, with additional lighting brought in to illuminate the area. Another ranger was lowered with a rescue litter. The man's injuries were stabilized and he was secured to the litter. A mechanical advantage pulley system was employed to raise him to the rim. While this rescue was underway, some rangers had to be quickly dispatched to a medical incident involving a seizure patient in the village. The fall victim was transferred to Guardian Medical Transport and taken to Flagstaff Medical Center. [Ken Phillips, Incident Commander] Lake Mead NRA Two Fatalities on Same Day Two visitors died in lake waters on Sunday, May 21st. A ranger on boat patrol in mid-afternoon came upon an unoccupied personal watercraft (PWC) near Temple Bar in Lake Mead. There was nobody in the vicinity. About an hour later, the ranger learned that there had been three women on the PWC. The ranger and a Temple Bar concession employee found an exhausted 33-year-old woman in the water near Delmar Bay at 5:10 p.m. Shortly thereafter, they found the other two women not far away. One, age 24, was extremely tired but alive; the other, age 69, had expired. All three women were wearing life jackets. Rangers believe wind and wave action caused the women to be separated from the PWC and each other. At about the same time, a ranger was on foot patrol in the South Telephone Cove area on the Arizona side of Lake Mohave. Two adults ran up to him and reported that their four-year-old daughter had been in the water on a raft and had fallen into the lake. Rangers on a boat found her body in the lake about a half hour later. A lake wind advisory was in effect for the park at the time that both fatalities occurred. Both victims are believed to have drowned. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Specialist] Golden Gate NRA Drowning, Three Others Rescued On the evening of Sunday, May 14th, Ocean Beach patrol lifeguards responded to a report of several persons in distress in the water off of Stairwell 28 near Lincoln Way. Both lifeguards entered the water and found one adult and two juveniles in a strong rip current; all three were rescued and brought to safety with the assistance of local surfers. During the rescue, one of the victims reported that another adult was still in the water and had gone under. The lifeguards searched the area and found a man in three feet of water. He was pulled onto a surfboard and CPR was immediately begun. A supervisory ranger arrived on scene and asked that San Francisco Fire and Emergency Medical Services also respond. All four victims were taken to a local hospital. The man who was found underwater had entered the ocean after seeing the two juveniles in distress in a strong rip current. He later died at the hospital. The weather in San Francisco was hot, with temperatures in the upper 80's, attracting a large number of beachgoers. At the same time, lifeguards reported at least seven strong rip currents along the four mile stretch of beach. [Kim Coast, Operations Supervisor] OTHER NEWS News story on NOAA predicting four to six major hurricanes this year: HYPERLINK "http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/22/national/main1639437.shtml" http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/22/national/main1639437.shtml Announcement regarding medical screening for post-9/ World Trade Center responders: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4479" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4479 Article on Eastern high angle rescue training at BISO: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4478" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=4478 Announcement of Ralph Tingey's retirement: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=1239" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=1239 Article on new wildland/urban interface training web site: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=vieweventscalendararticle&type=Conferences&id=1124" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=vieweventscalendararticle&type=Conferences&id=1124 * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |