NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, September 5, 2008
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INCIDENTS
Yosemite NP
Injured Hiker's Life Saved Through Prompt Action
On the afternoon of Sunday, August 31st, rangers received a report that a man had taken a significant fall off the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. Helicopter 551 was ordered for a rappel and/or short-haul mission, while rangers and SAR site personnel blitzed up the trail. A second 911 caller reported that the man was still alive but had sustained multiple injuries. Rangers Jack Hoeflich and Keith Lober rappelled onto the trail and were joined by ranger Rob Lewis, who had blitzed up the trail in record time. The three rangers reached the man, who was found in the inner gorge, and determined that his injuries were life-threatening. A park visitor was on scene with him and had clearly helped prevent his death by providing aid, keeping him calm, and helping rescuers reach him. Short-haul operations commenced, with Hoeflich attending the victim through the flight to Ahwahnee Meadow. At the meadow, medical care was provided by a doctor, nurses, paramedics and park medics. The patient was transferred to an air ambulance and was in flight to the hospital two hours and 15 minutes from the first 911 call. The extraordinary teamwork, talent and professionalism of the rangers, SAR site personnel, fire personnel, clinic staff and the heroic bystander saved the man's life. [Leslie Reynolds, Valley District Ranger/Acting Operations Chief]
Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs
Two Concession Employees Arrested For Burglary
Concession managers at the Lodgepole Market reported that an estimated $1,848 in quarters had been stolen from their coin-operated shower stalls over the course of a week in late August. On the night of August 25th, rangers Steven Powell and Chris Waldschmidt set up surveillance of the shower area from the roof of the Lodgepole Visitor Center directly across from the showers. Around 2:30 a.m., they saw two people quickly enter the shower area with a bucket, presumably to hold quarters, and intercepted them as they left the building. Both were arrested and found to be concession employees. A key used to access the shower entrance doors was found on one of them and a key to access the vending boxes which held the quarter dollars was found on the other. A consent search was conducted of one of their residences, where the rangers found and seized $108.75 in quarters and $1,695 in cash. On August 26th, a search warrant was obtained for the other suspect's residence and vehicle, where rangers found $785 in wet quarters, $2,773 in cash, and a key to the laundry vending machines. Both suspects are being charged with felony burglary and conspiracy. [Kip Knapp]
Glen Canyon NRA
Visitor's Life Saved Through CPR, Prompt Use Of AED
Park dispatch received a report via cellular phone late on the morning of August 31st that CPR was in progress on a man on a boat at Oak Bay on Lake Powell. Several rangers responded from Dangling Rope Marina, approximately 10 miles away. Rangers Chad Hunter and Seth Palmer were first on scene. Hunter located the speedboat and found the man lying in the stern. Hunter immediately applied an AED and delivered one shock, restoring the 67-year-old man's pulse and breathing. A pediatric emergency room doctor on boat the boat had begun CPR about 20 minutes before the rangers arrived, bringing oxygen and a bag valve mask that enhanced the CPR efforts. The man was flown to Page Hospital, then taken to Flagstaff Medical Center. He was conscious and talking to staff in the ER in Page. [Linda Mihata, Law Enforcement Specialist]
OTHER NEWS
Other stories can be read on InsideNPS at one or the other of these two sites:
NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index
Non-NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
Please note that both publications carry a combined NIFC/NPS fire report. That is generally posted around 8 a.m. Eastern.
Among the stories in today's edition are the following:
Natural Resource Program Center - The Natural Resource Program Center series of web seminars on climate change in the national parks continues this fall with “webinars” in September, October and November. The first of these will be next Thursday.
Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services - The latest draft of RM-9, the reference manual for law enforcement, is now available for review. Comments are due by October 2nd.
Washington Office - Director Bomar has presented the 2007 Appleman-Judd-Lewis Awards to Monika Mayr, Edwin Col—n, and Rosie Pepito.
Denver Service Center - On August 20th, Sam Whittington, director of the Denver Service Center, received DOI's meritorious service award for his many accomplishments in support of the programs and the mission of the NPS.
Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by the NPS and its partners across the nation. New on this week's listing are three new Fundamentals II offerings at Albright, a web-seminar on cultural and climate change next Thursday, and ARPA training in California.
Events Calendar - Today's listing of upcoming NPS and NPS-related events across the nation. Added today are several Public Lands Day events, a gateways conference in New Mexico, the National Association for Interpretation's annual conference in Oregon, and a living history weekend at Steamtown
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
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 support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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