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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, January 10, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Delaware Water Gap NRA Driver Rescued From Vehicle Submerged In Creek Rangers and other emergency personnel responded to a call of a submerged car and entrapped driver in Bushkill Creek around 1:20 p.m. on Friday, January 5th. When they arrived on scene, they found that the driver, F.M., had extricated himself from the car and was sitting on its side, awaiting rescue. Rangers employed swift water rescue procedures to extricate F.M. from his precarious position and bring him to shore. Once F.M. left the vehicle, it became buoyant and floated about 200 feet downstream, where it got caught up on the creek's rocky bottom. Although shaken up and slightly hypothermic due to the creek's cold waters, F.M. was injured and declined medical treatment at the scene. He was warmed up, then driven to his nearby home. F.M. said that he swerved to avoid a deer, lost control of the vehicle, and ended up in the creek. Efforts to remove the vehicle were hampered by swift currents and the vehicle's distance from the shore. River rangers, aided by a towing service, finally extricated it later that afternoon. No environmental impacts were noted. The operation concluded prior to darkness. [Mike Fernalld, Park Ranger] Yellowstone NP Armed Robber Pleads Guilty An investigation into a hit-and-run accident in the park on Wednesday, June 14, 2006, led to the apprehension of two men wanted in connection with a bank robbery in Iowa (click on “More Information” below for the original incident report). Rangers found an unoccupied vehicle in the Canyon Lodge cabin complex around 10:30 p.m. that evening which matched the description of one involved in a hit-and-run accident in the Canyon area earlier in the evening. The driver, J.S., 23, and his companion, A.R., 32, both fled into the woods after being contacted by rangers. Both were soon caught, the latter after a significant manhunt. Last week, J.S. pled guilty to charges of bank robbery and possession of a firearm during the crime. J.S. said that he and A.R. had robbed a bank together on Oskaloosa, Iowa, last May and agreed to cooperate in the investigation. His plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of nearly 12 years. A.R. is to go on trail this week. [KCCI TV, Des Moines, Iowa] HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=2636" http://classicinside.nps.gov/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=2636 OTHER NEWS Other news from today's edition of InsideNPS, the National Park Service's home page: Partnership and Visitor Experience - The Associate Directorship for Partnerships, Interpretation and Education, Volunteers, and Outdoor Recreation was recently realigned and has been renamed the Associate Directorship for Partnerships and Visitor Experience. While the name was shortened and simplified, no activities or programs were eliminated. Fire and Aviation Management - It's once again time for the annual NPS fire photo contest. Submissions are due by February 7th. Special Park Uses - Five special park use training courses will be offered this spring and summer - one each on wireless communications facilities, electrical utilities and pipeline systems, plus two offerings of fundamentals of special park uses. Risk Management - Course on job hazard analysis provides participants with the knowledge and skills needed to systematically identify and control hazards associated with performing specific tasks or projects in national parks. To link to InsideNPS, click on HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |