NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, May 24, 2012

INCIDENTS

Grand Canyon NP

Man Killed In 600 Foot Fall From South Rim

The park received a report of a man over the edge at Pipe Creek vista on the South Rim early on Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses told arriving rangers that they'd seen a man fall over the edge. They were unable to see anything from the rim, so rappelled down and found the man's body 600 feet below. The body was recovered and transferred to the county medical examiner. An investigation into the death is underway. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist]

Saguaro NP

German Visitor Dies While Hiking In Park

On Monday afternoon, a 35-year-old visitor from Germany was hiking on the Hugh Norris Trail with a partner, also from Germany, when she collapsed. Her partner attempted to revive her with water, but was unsuccessful. He then ran down the trail to his vehicle and drove to the visitor center to report the incident. A ranger and personnel from Picture Rocks Fire Department responded. When they got to the woman's location, they found that she had expired. Investigation revealed that the couple had headed out for Wesson Peak at 7 a.m. and reached the summit just before 11 a.m. While on the return trip, she told her partner that she was not feeling well. Shortly thereafter, she collapsed and became unconscious. Neither was carrying a cell phone and help was not readily available. The temperature high for Tucson that day was 105 Fahrenheit. The Pima County Sheriff's Department is leading the investigation. The cause of the fatality is under investigation. [Robert Stinson, Acting Chief Ranger]

Zion NP

Classic Car Consumed In Fire In Tunnel

A 1964 HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_Cobra" Cobra sports car valued at $800,000 was completely consumed in a fire in the Zion Mount Carmel tunnel on the afternoon of Monday, May 21st. The fire was reported to the park just after 5 p.m. and the park's structural fire engine company responded along with the Springdale/Rockville fire department and two wildland fire engines. A Type Six engine with a 250 gallon tank and a pump capacity of 150 gallons per minute entered the tunnel with two firefighters wearing HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCBA" SCBAs. A second Type Six engine, two Type One engines, and the wildland engines provided backup for the initial attack engine. Firefighters with the initial attack engine were able to successfully contain and extinguish the fully engulfed sports car. The two occupants of the car had found relatively safe refuge in two of the tunnel's gallery windows. All other vehicles and people exited the tunnel prior to initial attack efforts. The two occupants were transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The tunnel and road were closed for two-and-a-half hours. The insurance value of the sports car was reported to be $800,000. Construction of the tunnel, which is just over a mile long, began in the late 1920's and was completed in 1930. At the time the tunnel was dedicated, it was the longest tunnel of its type in the United States. In addition to concerns with the potential for multiple vehicles and people trapped inside the tunnel, responders were aware that wooden timbers provide structural support and prevent rock fall in the interior of the tunnel. The NPS engine company conducts yearly training sessions in the tunnel and had determined that a smaller engine would provide better access and egress from the tunnel in the event of a vehicle fire. Firefighters were also aware that afternoon winds would likely vent smoke away from them as they approached. A protective coating along the walls in the area of the fire protected the tunnel's wood timbers. [Ray O'Neil, Incident Commander]

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/):

Fire Island NS - Fire Island National Seashore's interpretive division put iPads to the test at this year's Junior Ranger Day event. Park staff helped children learn how to use book and app field guides to identifying Fire Island birds.

Office of Communications - Kathryn Kirby from the Office of Communications in Washington will be serving as acting editor for InsideNPS and the Morning Report for two weeks beginning next Tuesday.

Pacific West Region - The Western Cultural Resources Emergency Response Team held its annual training at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park on during the second week of May.

Southeast Region - Nina Kelson, deputy superintendent at Gulf Islands National Seashore, was recently named Southeast Region's manager of the year for her sustained quality of management. Kelson will retire on June 1st.

Denver Service Center - Denver Service Center has selected Lori Irish as its new chief of contracting services. She begins her new position on June 3rd.

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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced with the support of the Office of the Assistant Director for Information Resources 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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