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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Friday, August 18, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs Firefighter David Quintero Killed In Off-Duty Accident David Quintero, 22, a wildland firefighter who'd belonged to the park's Crew 91 since 2005, was involved in a serious single-car accident at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 13th. David was off-duty and heading eastbound on Highway 198 near the Horse Creek bridge when the accident occurred. He was flown by Life Flight to University Medical Center in Fresno, where he underwent brain surgery. He was then placed on life support, but succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday afternoon. A CISD debriefing was held for park staff yesterday morning. David was also a staff sergeant with the 1072nd Transportation Company out of Fresno, California, and a recipient of the Bronze Star during his service in Iraq. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 22nd, at the Three Rivers Memorial Building (43490 Sierra Drive). There will be a public viewing from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, August 21st, at Miller Memorial Chapel (1120 W. Goshen Avenue in Visalia). Cards and letters can be sent to David's grandparents in Three Rivers: D.S. and P.B. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation in David's name. The Foundation can be reached by phone at 208-336-2996 or on their website at HYPERLINK "http://www.wffoundation.org" www.wffoundation.org. Click on "Giving" and then "In-Memory Donations." [Jody Lyle, Fire Information Specialist] Mount Rushmore NP Summary Report On Sturgis Motorcycle Rally The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally officially ran from August 7th through August 13th, with heavy motorcycle traffic beginning several days in advance of the official start date. This year's rally was marked by the extensive advance intelligence received indicating that there would be a large outlaw motorcycle gang presence with the potential for violence, both of which proved to be the case. As noted in a previous edition, there was a gang-related shooting at Legion Lake in Custer State Park just south of the park on August 8th that resulted in the injury of six people associated with the Outlaws motorcycle gang and the arrest of two men associated with the Hells Angels motorcycle gang who are alleged to have done the shooting. Two rangers from Mount Rushmore were called to assist in the follow-up investigation at the scene of the shooting under terms of an existing cooperative agreement with Custer County Sheriff's Office. The shootings raised the tension level throughout the entire Black Hills area, as the threat of more violence was ever present. The Outlaws were camped en masse at a private campground approximately 10 miles south of Mount Rushmore and the park experienced several large organized rides by the gang, one resulting in a high-risk vehicle stop for a traffic violation that was documented in an earlier report. On August 11th, rangers participated in a large interagency law enforcement operation aimed at managing 100 or more members of the Outlaws who made rides through Mount Rushmore, then settled in for several hours in the small town of Keystone immediately adjacent to the park's northeast boundary. The NPS was represented at the interagency command center set up in Keystone along with the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Marshals, ATF, FBI, South Dakota Highway Patrol, U.S. Forest Service and others. A total of approximately 104 officers from these agencies, including 23 NPS rangers, were involved in the operation, and there were no serious incidents. On August 12th, rangers contacted a member of the Outlaws gang and associates who were engaged in commercial filming within the park without a permit. That contact included an in depth interview with the gang member and resulted in a warning and additional intelligence information. In addition to the high level of gang traffic and activity, rangers responded to three motor vehicle accidents, provided 15 medical assists, issued 57 violation notices, and made seven arrests. During the rally period, approximately 119,470 motorcyclists visited the park. This number is in addition to the visitors arriving by sedans, buses, and other vehicles. Park staff hosted and provided special tours for a number of VIP's during the period, including, among others, retired general Tommy Franks, director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs W. Patrick Ragsdale, BIA regional special agent in charge Elmer Four Dance, BLM deputy director Larry Benna, BLM regional special agent in charge Bart Fitzgerald, and the prince and princess of Italy. Rangers also had visits from a number of interagency law enforcement personnel from throughout the area and the nation. Mount Rushmore rangers managed operations and events related to the rally with great assistance from the Midwest Region SETT and Midwest Region Office personnel. All NPS personnel associated with the operation performed in an outstanding manner under very busy and stressful conditions. [Mike Pflaum, Chief Ranger] Pictured Rocks NL Sand Cave-In Fatality On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 15th, an 11-year-old boy from Oak Park, Michigan, died after an accident near Sable Creek in which he was buried in one to two feet of sand for over 20 minutes. The boy, playing with a group of other children, was apparently trapped after a tunnel they had dug into the face of the Grand Sable Dunes collapsed and buried the boy in sand. According to eyewitnesses, the boy was extricated from the sand by other companions and an adult family friend who was nearby. CPR was begun immediately. The boy was transported from the accident scene to a waiting ambulance at the Sable Falls parking lot, where he was then transported to Helen Newberry Joy Hospital in Newberry, Michigan. The boy was declared dead later that evening. Agencies assisting in the accident included the Burt Township Ambulance Corps and Fire Department, Luce County Advanced Life Support, Michigan State Police, and the National Park Service. The investigation is continuing. [Larry Hach, Chief Ranger] Glen Canyon NRA Concession Employee Dies After Near-Drowning Incident A young man from Uzbekistan passed away on Saturday, August 12th, from complications resulting from a near-drowning incident that occurred on Lake Powell on July 21st. K.A., 23, was using a water trampoline near the Wahweap main launch ramp when he jumped into the water and began struggling. After K.A. went underwater, bystanders began diving down in an attempt to find him and pull him to shore. After being submerged for at least seven to ten minutes, he was found by a Dutch visitor and brought to shore, where others began performing CPR. Rangers responded and continued CPR. K.A. was flown by Classic Lifeguard helicopter to Page Hospital, then flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah. K.A. remained in the hospital in critical condition until his death. Although the trampoline was marked “Life Vest Required,” K.A. was not wearing a life jacket at the time. He reportedly did not know how to swim. K.A. was working in a seasonal position for Aramark, the park concessioner, in the food and beverage department at Lake Powell Resort. This was the fourth fatality of the year at Glen Canyon. [Kevin Schneider, Public Affairs Specialist] OTHER NEWS Other news of interest from today's edition of InsideNPS, which can be found at this address if your inside the NPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) and at this address if you're outside the NPS ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/). Note that not all articles that appear in the former make it into the latter: WASO V&RP - The lead story today is on the release of RM-51, the reference manual on EMS. Media - Article from Wireless Week on whether or not wireless services are appropriate for national parks. Training and Events - The weekly training and events calendars have been updated and posted. * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |