NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, June 24, 2011

INCIDENTS

Yellowstone NP

Commercial Vehicle Inspections Result In Citations, Arrest

Recent safety inspections of commercial buses in the park resulted in the immediate arrest of 38-year-old S.P., of Forest Hills, New York, and the impounding of the 14-passenger bus he was driving under the auspices of S.C.T., Inc., of Brooklyn, New York. Originally arrested for operating with a suspended driver's license, S.P. pled guilty in magistrate's court to operating a commercial vehicle after the effective date of an unsatisfactory rating, as S.C.T. had been prohibited by the Department of Transportation from interstate operation of commercial passenger vehicles due to being significantly out of compliance with safety regulations for equipment and/or drivers. S.P. was fined $235 and placed on unsupervised probation for one year, during which time he is banned from operating a motor vehicle in Yellowstone. The recent safety inspections resulted in one arrest, three drivers and four vehicles being taken out of service, and eight citations being issued. Fifty-three vehicles were inspected. This is the thirteenth year of an interagency inspection program in which Yellowstone rangers and state and federal transportation officials conduct inspections designed to ensure the safe operation and mechanical soundness of commercial buses and trucks on Yellowstone's roadways. This effort helps protect visitors, park employees and park resources from potential mishaps. Both the vehicle and the driver are evaluated in order to ensure full compliance with federal regulations that govern commercial vehicle operation. [Public Affairs Office]

Yosemite NP

Surprise Bus Inspection Held In Park

Yosemite held a two-day-long surprise bus inspection in the park on June 8th and 9th. This was done in support of Operation Road Check and organized as a multi-agency task force with the California Highway Patrol, San Francisco Police Department, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the California Public Utility Commission. A total of 56 buses were inspected. The inspections involved mechanical and safety inspections, checks of driver's qualifications, and checks of the company's authority to transport passengers. Of the 56 vehicles inspected, 23 were released with no violations. Operators of another 28 were issued minor violation notices for repairs, and 24 violation notices were issued to companies and bus drivers. Five buses were placed out of service for mechanical deficiencies, five drivers were ordered out of service for driver's logbook violations and driving without the proper classification, and two buses were ordered out of service for not having California authority to transport passengers. Operation Road Check is a national program that is considered to be the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world. As part of the program, approximately 14 trucks or buses are inspected, on average, every minute from Canada to Mexico during a 72-hour period in early June. Since 1988, over one million trucks and buses have been inspected. The program has provided educational literature and numerous safety events to educate people about the importance of safe commercial vehicle operations and roadside inspection programs. [Kari Cobb, Public Affairs Officer]

Denali NP&P

Missing Hikers Found Near Park

Two hikers who were the focus of an air and ground search in the rugged terrain surrounding Mt. Healy were located yesterday afternoon by an Air National Guard Pavehawk helicopter that was assisting in the search effort. S.S., 22, of Newberry, South Carolina, and L.W., 22, of Bellingham, Washington, were both tired but uninjured. Had they not been spotted from the air, they were close to a “containment” point staffed by the Tri-Valley Volunteer Fire Department. This was one of five points where it was determined that the two women would most likely come out if they descended the mountain. The women, both seasonal employees at the McKinley Chalets Resort in the Nenana Canyon located outside Denali National Park, were last seen at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21st, at the Bison Gulch trailhead on the Parks Highway. They had told friends that they intended to hike to the Mt. Healy summit and possibly continue further along the ridge to the Savage River. They had not planned to camp during their hike, but were carrying some overnight equipment, including a sleeping bag and stove. Their plans went awry when they became disoriented above the tree line due to low clouds and rain early on Wednesday. The National Park Service was notified at 8:30 a.m. when the women used a cell phone to call 911. The park's communication center and search managers had intermittent cell phone contact with them until about 10 a.m., when the battery on their cell phone died. Prior to that, they had been instructed to stay where they were and make themselves visible to searchers. Search efforts were underway by early afternoon. S.S. and L.W. remained at their ridge location for hours and saw aircraft flying overheard. They tried to make themselves more visible by spreading their gear on the ground and using metal pans to signal, but they weren't spotted by the aerial searchers. At approximately 6 p.m. the two women began making their way down one of the drainages on the north side of Mt. Healy leading into Dry Creek. They had hiked approximately five miles through difficult terrain and dense vegetation when they were spotted from the air. Approximately 35 to 40 people were involved in the total search effort, including ground teams, the pilots and crew of two helicopters and a plane, and support personnel. [Kris Fister, 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/):

Mount Rainier NP - It's almost the Fourth of July and you're maybe thinking about picnics and a day at the beach -- unless you're at Mount Rainier, where there's still a little snow to be dealt with. More than 900 inches fell at Paradise this winter and crews are still clearing the high country.

Big Cypress NP - Bill Evans, the helicopter pilot for the Big Cypress National Preserve, was recently honored by the Department of Interior with the aviation safety award of distinction. Photo.

Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training.  The following have been added to this week's calendar - three new FLETC training courses and a revised date for this month's retirement training TEL broadcast.

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of Communications and 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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