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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, August 5, 2011 INCIDENTS Grand Canyon NP One Killed, Five Injured By Lightning Strike Park dispatch began receiving numerous calls for emergency assistance from visitors near Mojave Point early yesterday afternoon. When rangers arrived on scene, they found that six people had been injured in a lightning strike and that CPR was in progress on one of the victims, a woman who'd collapsed after the bolt hit very close to the party. Rangers took over CPR and moved their lifesaving efforts to an ambulance, as lightning continued to pose a threat to those who were outdoors. At the same time, the injured members of her party were transported to the park's Emergency Operations Center to get them out of the lightning. Their injuries were assessed at the center and basic first aid was provided. Emergency medical responders were never able to revive the woman who had collapsed, a 64-year-old German national who was part of a visiting tour group. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist] Cape Lookout NS Ten Kayakers Rescued From Windy Core Sound Ranger Lance Herman received an urgent call for help from a Boy Scout group leader early on the afternoon of July 25th. She reported that 10 of the 15 kayakers in the group were having difficulty navigating Core Sound due to that afternoon's high winds, adding that she could only see five of the ten kayakers having problems. Nine Boy Scouts and one adult in kayaks were trying to paddle south on Core Sound to Shackelford Banks into a very strong head wind of more than 25 mph that blew them off course in several different directions. Herman and chief ranger Barry Munyan responded. They retrieved seven of the kayakers, one of whom was standing on the bottom in the middle of the sound without a kayak a mile-and-a-half from shore. Acting chief of maintenance Harvey Nelson and maintenance worker Johnny Dixon assisted by retrieving three of the kayakers from the water. All the scouts and the one adult were rescued and transported to the visitor center area. There were no reported injuries. All ten were wearing lifejackets. [Lance Herman, Park Ranger] Great Smoky Mountains NP Teenage Girl Swept Over Falls To Her Death Late in the afternoon of Saturday, July 30th, park dispatch received a report that a young women had been swept over the 15-foot-high falls at the Sinks, a popular swimming area on the Little River about ten miles west of the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Rangers arrived shortly after the call was received. Witnesses told them that the teenager had been wading across the river just above the falls when she lost her footing and was swept over the edge. At the base of the falls, she became entrapped and was held underwater by the force of the water coming down from above. Several park visitors had formed a human chain at the base of the falls and were attempting to pull her free, but were unable to overcome the force of the water. Rangers and rescue personnel from several agencies (Blount County Sheriff's Office, Blount County Fire Department, Townsend Volunteer Fire Department and Rural Metro Ambulance Service) worked for approximately three hours to recover the woman's body. A technical haul system and advanced swiftwater techniques were used to free her. There are numerous signs posted at the Sinks warning visitors of strong currents and hidden underwater hazards and advising caution in and around the water. Ranger Michael Garner is the lead investigator. Supervisory park ranger Steve Spanyer was incident commander. [Steve Kloster, Tennessee District 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/): National Capital Parks East - Park Police officers and staff from several DC parks joined together to sponsor a “National Night Out” to help residents of Congress Heights take back their neighborhood park. The event drew over 350 people from the community. Office of the Comptroller - The second edition of the Financial and Business Management System Newsletter is now available online. Links are provided. Office of Communications - The National Park Service today announced the recipients of $68,000 in federal competitive preservation technology and training grants. Fire and Aviation Management - The Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection has announced the release of the Service's aviation management communication plan. Office of Communications - Dr. Stanley C. Bond, Jr. has been named chief archeologist for the National Park Service. Bond, currently the superintendent of Kennesaw Mountain, will start his new position in mid-August. Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training. Added to this week's calendar is a course on effective interpretation of archeological resources. * * * * 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). --- ### --- |