NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

INCIDENTS

Gulf Coast Parks

Retirees Help With Gulf Spill Response

Many NPS retirees have been called out to assist in the agency's response to the oil spill, or to assist other DOI agencies. Among them is the retired superintendent of Kenai Fjords, who was at that park during the big Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. Here are the particulars:

Gulf Islands NS - From 1975 through 1981, Anne Castellina worked as a historian for the park's Florida District. She has returned once again, but in a different capacity - Anne is now a public information officer for the Florida District. Unfortunately, Anne is quite familiar with oil spills, because she was the superintendent at Kenai Fjords during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. “I know and love the resources and I was compelled to assist in any way that I could in a park and with people that are still very dear to me,” she says. “Gulf Islands is truly a gem. And the staff here is amazing.” Ann realized from her experiences in the Exxon Valdez spill that NPS staff might feel a sense of failure as the oil came ashore, because of their passion to protect natural and cultural resources. “I'm here to let them know that in time the resource will recover and so will they,” she says. “We cannot lose hope.” Anne is not the only retired NPS employee helping with the response. She is currently working with Warren Bielenberg, who is a retired regional chief of interpretation for the NPS. Other retirees are scattered around the incident, working in operations, logistics, and other areas. Many have long experience dealing with responses to fires, hurricanes, and other natural and man-made calamities.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - No new developments.

Jean Lafitte NHP&P - No new developments.

Padre Island NS - No new developments.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites:

HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" DOI Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.restorethegulf.gov/" Restore The Gulf

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" Oil Spill Safety Training

HYPERLINK "http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/" GeoPlatform

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=1006&id=9336" NPS ICS 209 Incident Status Summaries

HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/NPS%20-%20Public%20Health%20Notice%20SIGNAGE%206-26-10.pdf" Gulf Islands Public Health Precautions Notice

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/OilSpillSafety/index.htm" Public Health Service Oil Spill Safety Video

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/" Oil Spill Media Page

[Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Glen Canyon NRA

Greek Visitor Falls To Death At Horseshoe Bend Overlook

Rangers responding to a report of a man falling from a cliff at the Horseshoe Bend Overlook last Saturday found the body of a 20-year-old man at the base of the cliff near the Colorado River. He was identified as a Greek national who had been traveling with a small tour group. He'd fallen about 600 feet. Rangers and county deputies recovered the body with the assistance of a helicopter and crew from Grand Canyon and transferred it to the county medical examiner. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation in coordination with the National Park Service. [Erin Frackleton]

Gateway NRA

Two Men Drown, Third Rescued Off Plum Island

On the afternoon of Saturday, July 24th, Sandy Hook Unit lifeguards, rangers, and fire staff responded to a 911 call reporting a drowning off Plum Island. G.R.-T. was with his wife and two-year-old daughter when he stepped off a sandbar surrounding a tidal lagoon and lost his footing in the current of the incoming tide. His wife, while holding the two-year-old, tried to help him, but also fell into the water. His cousins M.R.-L. and M.R., both non-swimmers, entered the water to help rescue him. Visitors in the area were able to help his wife and daughter from the water and bystanders B.J. of Woodbridge, New Jersey, and H.M. of Columbus, Ohio, pulled M.R. from the water. He was unconscious and unresponsive, and CPR was begun. Arriving park staff took over CPR and began a water search. Lifeguards quickly located M.R.-L. in 15 feet of water on the northwest side of the lagoon and began CPR. Rangers were assisting G.R.-T.'s wife when she collapsed. It was then that they learned that a third person was missing. The ground and water search resumed. Lifeguards found G.R.-T. about 45 minutes later. All of the victims were transported to Monmouth Medical Center by local ambulance squads. G.R.-T. and M.R.-L.M.R.Martin Romero remained in the hospital and was responsive. N.R.-T. and her daughter were treated at the hospital immediately following the incident and have since been discharged. Plum Island, located on the bayside of Sandy Hook, is a popular area for fishing, seining, kiteboarding and windsurfing. The investigation into this incident continues. [Peter Tortorell, Law Enforcement Supervisor]

Zion NP

Two Short-Haul Rescues Conducted Over Two Days

After much rigorous planning, training and implementation, the park launched its short-haul program with two missions on two consecutive days last week. On Friday, a 61-year-old man from Salt Lake City suffered an angulated ankle fracture while in the upper reaches of the Left Fork of North Creek, an area popularly known as “The Subway.” He was short-hauled out, transferred to an ambulance, and taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, with ranger/paramedic Rob Wissinger as his attendant during the operation. On Saturday afternoon, a severe thunderstorm dropped an inch of rain in less than a half hour in some areas of the park, causing flashfloods in several canyons. One was Spry Canyon. The mouth of that canyon is visible from the switchbacks on the main park road. After the storm passed, an off-duty ranger reported seeing a flashing light at the top of the last rappel in that canyon. Two rangers investigated and found that three men had been flushed out of the canyon by the flood; two had been washed over 40-foot and 60-foot drops and a third had been washed over the 40-foot drop and was at the top of the 60-foot drop. Two of the three men had sustained potentially life-threatening injuries requiring immediate evacuation, so a short-haul operation was conducted. The two men were then transferred to two different Classic Lifeguard air-ambulances and flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center, where they underwent surgery. The third injured man was assisted out by foot, then transported by ground ambulance to the medical center. The rescue effort required the use of about 20 park personnel and three helicopters. Paramedic/rangers Wissinger and Brandon Torres were involved. [Cindy Purcell, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Salem Maritime NHS - The 29-person Navy crew from the USS Constitution has been training on board the NPS tall ship Friendship once a week, and in mid-July they joined NPS staff and volunteers for a three-day sail that took the ship from Salem to Boston and back again.

Natural Resource Program Center - The Geologic Resources Division is announcing a call for proposals from NPS units for spring/summer 2011 Geoscientists-in-the-Parks positions. Photo.

Conservation and Outdoor Recreation - A new database is available to the public containing information on programs that encourage healthy use of national, state, and local parks through a range of outdoor recreation activities.

Park Cultural Resource Program - When Blue Ridge Parkway's iconic viewsheds were threatened by development, the park used civic engagement to gather local knowledge, perceptions, and experience to form and drive more effective visual landscape preservation efforts. Photo.

Delaware Water Gap NRA - Bill White, 61, a maintenance employee in roads and trails at Delaware Water Gap NRA, died of a heart attack at home last Saturday.

NPS incident submission standards can be found online at the HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" serious incident notification web page.

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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