NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, October 22, 2010

INCIDENTS

New River Gorge NR

Thousands Attend Annual Bridge Day Celebration

On Saturday, October 16th, the 31st Bridge Day celebration was held at the New River Gorge National River. Crowds estimated at between 120,000 and 200,000 people were managed under a unified incident command team that included the National Park Service, the FBI, the United States Marshall's Service, West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard and over 15 other agencies. Frank Sellers served as the NPS incident commander, Chuck Noll served as the NPS incident liaison, and special agent Chris Schrader served as technical advisor. Over 50 National Park Service employees from all divisions were assigned to the event. Highway 19 was shut down for about nine hours while visitors watched over 400 base jumpers make a total of just over 1000 jumps and 22 rappel teams perform about 100 rappels. The base jumping time window, normally about six hours, was extended an additional half hour after Governor Joe Manchin, who attended the event, requested an extension due to early morning fog delays. There were four ambulance transports to local hospitals resulting from base jumping injuries - one fractured arm, one fractured ankle, one knee injury, and one jumper who waited almost seven seconds to deploy his chute and suffered pelvis, back and chest injuries. One rescuer received a serious avulsion injury while helping a base jumper who landed in a tree and was transported, and there were two visitors who were transported to hospitals due to illness. One other base jumper was treated and released at the scene, as was one of the people participating in the bridge rappel. New River Gorge Bridge was completed on October 22, 1977. It is the longest steel span in the western hemisphere (3,030 feet) and the second highest in the United States (876 feet). The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce has hosted Bridge Day on the third day of October in every year since 1980 - the only day that visitors may walk across the bridge, and, by special dispensation from Congress, the only day that base jumpers may jump in a National Park Service area. [Jeff West, Chief Ranger]

Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs

Three Missing Hikers Found; Search Continues For Two Others

The park and the Inyo County Sheriff's Office are still conducting a major search operation in and around the Mount Whitney area. Three people have been rescued from Mount Whitney, but the search has now been expanded to include two other missing men. Three Nebraska men were rescued from Mount Whitney around noon yesterday. They'd originally planned on a day hike to Mount Whitney on Monday, but had been trapped by a snowstorm in a hut on Mount Whitney ever since. Three NPS search and rescue personnel hiked in to the site, with a California National Guard helicopter reaching the men at approximately the same time. All three men were able to walk and move around during a quick general health assessment by park personnel. Various parties assisted with this search and rescue operation, including the California National Guard and Yosemite Search and Rescue. Two other hikers, a father and son who were not part of the previously missing group, had planned a three-day, 36-mile cross-country loop in and around the Mount Whitney area, starting and ending at the Whitney Portal. They planned to return on Tuesday, but failed to reappear. Approximately 45 people have been assigned to the two search and rescue incidents. Search operations are still being hampered by snow with accumulations from one to three feet. [Dana Dierkes, Public Affairs Officer]

Biscayne NP

Major Annual Columbus Day Boat Gathering Held

Over Columbus Day weekend, Biscayne, Everglades and Big Cypress protection rangers took part in the yearly multi-agency effort to manage the huge boat gathering in the park. This operation is mainly a public safety event. Over 100 law enforcement officers and EMS individuals from many federal, state and local agencies took part, including the NPS, the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, City of Miami PD, City of Coral Gables PD, City of Bal Harbor PD, City of Miami Beach PD, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. They patrolled a large anchorage area with hundreds of boats and people. Most of the visitors come during this weekend to engage in heavy drinking, nudity and rowdiness. The event ended with 17 people arrested for boating under the influence, three for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and one for domestic violence. EMS personnel responded to 57 calls during the event, a few serious, but there were no fatalities this year. The event is the largest event that takes place in the park on an annual basis. Biscayne has an excellent working relationship with its partners, which enables the park to save thousands of dollars in coverage and other expenses during this event. [Didier Carod, Chief Ranger]

Grand Canyon NP

Member Of River Trip Falls To His Death In Elwes Chasm

Park dispatch received a report of a fatality on a private river trip on the Colorado River on Wednesday afternoon. According to the report, a member of the party had been hiking above Elves Chasm and had fallen to his death. Trip members had retrieved the body and were already back on the river. Rangers met the party at Blacktail, approximately three miles downriver from the chasm, where they conducted initial interviews and investigations and retrieved the body, which was flown via helicopter to the South Rim helibase. It was then transferred to the Coconino County medical examiner. The deceased has been identified as 52-year-old J.K. of Goodyear, Arizona. An investigation into this incident is being conducted. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer]

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/):

Denver Service Center - Denver Service Center had the most productive year in its history in FY 2010, with more than $715 million in awards and a tripling of its normal workload. Photo.

Martin Luther King Jr. NHS - On October 10th, Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS celebrated its 30th anniversary with a community celebration featuring a 1930s streetscape depicting the Auburn Avenue neighborhood of Atlanta as it was when Dr. King was a boy growing up there. Photo.

Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation. Added to this week's calendar is the biannual park medic training course, which will be held in California in January.

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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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