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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Tuesday, July 17, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Glen Canyon NRA Thirty-Four Visitors Treated For Monoxide Poisoning Late on the evening of July 10th, rangers in the Uplake District received a report of several children aboard a houseboat having difficulty breathing, with CPR being conducted on one of them. Carbon monoxide poisoning was immediately suspected, and the rangers accordingly began gathering available medical oxygen kits. An air evacuation helicopter from Page was requested as rangers responded from Bullfrog and Halls Crossing marinas. As rangers were about to leave Bullfrog, they learned that a speedboat was en route to the marina carrying four children in need of medical attention. They accordingly remained at Bullfrog and left the response to the Halls Crossing rangers. On board the speedboat were six adults and four children, ranging in age from 19 months to three years old. The children were all crying, and the adults reported that they'd all been unresponsive 15 to 20 minutes previously. The adults were also exhibiting symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning - dizziness, nausea and headaches. All ten were put on oxygen and taken to the Bullfrog clinic. Meanwhile, Halls Crossing rangers arriving at the scene reported that there were about 26 more people aboard a houseboat who were displaying carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms. They were triaged, and rangers sent 24 of them by boat to the medical facility at Bullfrog. Of the 34 individuals transported to the clinic, 21 required oxygen therapy for carboxyhemoglobin levels above 10%. Fortunately, rangers had recently attended a mass casualty training session, and the park, anticipating this type of incident, was prepared with equipment for treating mass carbon monoxide poisonings. The people treated had all been aboard an older homemade houseboat that was equipped with a gasoline powered generator. The exhaust for the generator was vented underwater near the back deck of the boat. Investigators were told that the victims had been in the water swimming in the vicinity of the generator's exhaust outlet just prior to going inside the houseboat. In addition, a residential style central air conditioning system was installed aboard the houseboat and was found to have been a contributing factor. This incident occurred three days after another carbon monoxide poisoning on Lake Powell, where two children were poisoned and a seven-year-old girl drowned as a result. Human senses can not detect carbon monoxide, which is why there are more than 40,000 case of carbon monoxide poisoning annually and why carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning in the United States. Prevention through public education remains the first line of defense. Do not confuse carbon monoxide poisoning with seasickness, intoxication or heat stress. If someone complains of irritated eyes, headache, nausea, weakness or dizziness, immediately suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. [Lindy Mihata, Acting Chief Ranger] Jean Lafitte NHP Attempted Assault On Teenage Girl On the afternoon of June 29th, a 13-year-old girl visited the library at the NPS site in Thibodaux. When done, she called her mother on her cell phone, then went downstairs to await her arrival. While waiting, she saw a man wandering around outside the building, acting strangely. He walked toward her and asked if he could borrow her cell phone, claiming that his was out of minutes. She loaned the man her phone, but suspected that he was only pretending to call someone. When she got up to walk away, the man asked her for her age and name and wanted to know if she needed a ride. The girl became very frightened and headed back into the visitor center. As she did so, he grabbed her upper arm, tugging her toward the parking lot, telling her that he'd give her a ride, and claiming that he was just 16 years old. The girl got away from him and ran into the visitor center for assistance. Local police responded to the 911 call before rangers arrived on scene. The man, who she estimated to be between 25 and 30 years old, had reddish-blonde hair, very white skin and an earring. Rangers at any NPS site that may have had dealings with a person of this description are asked to call case agent Michael Callais at 504-589-2330 ext. 22 or contact him via email. [John Hughes, Chief Ranger] New River Gorge NR Suicide From New River Gorge Bridge Rangers received a call from a local 911 center on the evening of July 14th, reporting that a person had been seen jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge. They were met by county and local police and EMS personnel at the scene, where they found an unattended vehicle with a suicide note inside. They were also contacted by an eyewitness to the event. A search was conducted under the 876-foot-high bridge and the body of a 36-year-old West Virginia man was found in a small creek that feeds the New River. Other rangers joined in the investigation and recovery. Due to the steep and rugged terrain, the body was carried downstream to the river, where it was taken by boat to Tayes Landing and transferred to an ambulance for transport to the medical examiner. A follow-up investigation will be conducted with the sheriff's office and with help from the park's field training staff. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) 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: Servicewide - Washington Times article: Marijuana cultivation on public land in the U.S., including national parks, is now a multibillion-dollar business, run by Mexican drug cartels and guarded by heavily armed members of U.S.-based street gangs and Mexican nationals. Park Planning and Special Studies - Patrick Gregerson is the new chief of the Office of Park Planning and Special Studies. He has been the chief of planning and GIS for National Capital Region since 1992. 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). --- ### --- |