|
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, April 23, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Guadalupe Mountains NP Firefighters Provide Mutual Aid Assistance, EMT's Save Girl's Life The park's fire brigade responded to a request for assistance from the Dell City Fire Department around 5 p.m. on the afternoon of April 18th. A building fire in that town was threatening to spread to other structures. Park firefighters helped contain the blaze by employing hose streams from the park's structural engine and water tender. The fire was brought under control around 7 p.m. Arson is suspected, and the case is being investigated by the state fire marshal and the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department. While the fire brigade was engaged in controlling this blaze, a call came in reporting that a 10-year-old girl had fallen off a swing and was unconscious and having trouble breathing. A park EMT responded and resuscitated the girl. Park EMT's then treated her until paramedics arrived on scene. The girl was airlifted to Thomason Hospital in El Paso and is expected to make a full recovery. [Peter Pappas, IC] Natchez Trace Parkway Suspected Suicide Proves To Be A Hoax Rangers received a report of an unoccupied van parked on the Tennessee River Bridge at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16th. A suicide note had been found inside. Supervisory park ranger Calvin Farmer and officers from the TVA and Colbert and Lauderdale Counties responded. Boats were launched and a search of the river was begun. A check of the van's registration revealed that it belonged to J.M., 56, of Killen, Alabama; investigators also learned that he was awaiting sentencing on multiple sex offenses in Alabama. Other information lead officers to believe that the event might have been staged, and a ‘be on the lookout” message was issued for J.M. He was found late that afternoon about 60 miles from the scene. He is being held in Lauderdale County as a potential flight risk and is awaiting sentencing. Other charges resulting from the suicide hoax are pending. Farmer is the investigating ranger. [Allen Etheridge, Chief Ranger] Indiana Dunes NL Suicide Victim Found In House Within Park On April 18th, park dispatch received a call from the Porter Police Department advising that a vehicle belonging to a missing person had been found adjacent to park property. A search of the area was conducted and the body of a 47-year-old man was found inside a reservation of use house within the park. He reportedly had been despondent over a recent court hearing concerning bomb making. The U.S. Secret Service had also recently served a warrant on his property and seized his personal computer and other materials in connection with a child pornography case. No explosives or other hazardous materials were found either in the house or in his vehicle. [Mike Bremer, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: National Partnership Office - National Park Week began yesterday and runs through next Sunday. Department of the Interior - DOI has hung a big banner on the front of Main Interior showing support for Virginia Tech students from DOI employees. Yosemite NP - The park has dedicated a new exhibit hall in the park's visitor center. Intermountain Region - SA David Sandbakken is retiring. Details are provided on his retirement party. DSC - Mike Fox is retiring. Yellowstone - The park has announced openings for a supervisory fire management specialist and for a supervisory park ranger (assistant DR at Canyon). To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |