NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

INCIDENTS

Gateway NRA

Major Mass Casualty Incident Proves To Be Hoax

On the afternoon of June 11th, park dispatch directed all NPS Sandy Hook law enforcement and fire/EMS units to respond to the US Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook regarding a report of a major emergency (the NPS provides law enforcement, fire, EMS and public works services to this Homeland Security installation). The Coast Guard advised that they were responding to a report of a boat explosion 17 miles off Sandy Hook with over 20 people in the water and at least nine critical burn victims. NPS law enforcement and fire personnel cleared the scene of a vehicle leaking fluids call and responded to the USCG Station within two minutes. Upon arrival, the park's fire chief set up a unified command post on the vessel dock, while the chief ranger and operations chief reported to the Coast Guard and began to gather additional information as it was being received. The Coast Guard had already dispatched three patrol boats from Sandy Hook Station to begin rescue efforts. NPS rangers and fire staff began arriving and assembling at the USCG docks, while NPS traffic control units were assigned duties as staging managers. Based on the number of burn and trauma patients expected, the NPS IC asked that the Monmouth County mass casualty incident response plan be put into effect, bringing pre-designated emergency medical task force personnel to the USCG docks. As local, county, and state responders began arriving, units were staged a short distance away from the dock and given assignments by NPS and county fire coordinators. Continued USCG reports updated the number of injured patients, at one point totaling 29 casualties. It's still unclear where USCG was getting this incorrect information. In addition to park fire and rescue apparatus, local, county, and state resources on scene included fire, hazmat, basic life support, advanced life support units, and six medevac helicopters. Two separate hazardous materials decontamination lines were readied, one for anticipated patients arrive at the landing zone and the other at the USCG dock for those arriving by marine vessel. In all, approximately 200 emergency responders were on scene with 50 pieces of equipment from throughout Monmouth County and the state of New Jersey. At approximately 6:30 p.m., word began arriving that no vessel or wreckage had been found in the area by search parties. The operation was scaled back, with assets being released from the scene. At approximately 7 p.m. it was reported by USCG that this might have been a hoax. Federal, state and county law enforcement personnel began arriving for the subsequent criminal investigation. By 8 p.m., all emergency response activities had been shut down. All fire, EMS and mutual aid resources were terminated and focus shifted to the multi-agency law enforcement investigation. The incident is under joint investigation by numerous law enforcement entities, with USCG as the lead agency. At this time, the Coast Guard has posted a reward of $3,000 leading to a conviction in this case. Although the case was a huge strain on local resources, it provided a rare attempt for agencies to work together in a high stress situation, ensuring that resources and responders were prepared for the worst case scenario. [Rob Louden, Operations Chief]

New River Gorge NR

Teenage Boy Dies In Car Wreck

Rangers, local fire and EMS, and Fayette County deputies responded to a report of a single car accident on McKendree Road last Friday afternoon. First responders found the car on its top, over an embankment, and off the roadway, with two people trapped inside. Rangers assisted Oak Hill VFD and local EMS with the extrication and patient evacuation. Shortly after being extricated from the car, a 17-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene. A young woman in the vehicle was extricated and then flown by medevac helicopter to Charleston. During the helicopter evacuation, rangers established the emergency landing zone and provided the ground contact for the helicopter. While in flight, the patient said that her five-year-old child was also in the car at the time of the accident. Rescuers again converged on the accident scene and were looking for the child around the remains of the demolished car when the woman said that she had lied and that the child was safe with a relative. The statement was verified by a relative and no signs of any other victim were found other than the two previously identified occupants. Rangers led the investigation throughout the rest of the night and met with members of the boy's family and the state medical examiner's office at the hospital. By shift's end, both had been identified. The preliminary investigation indicated that the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree broadside before rolling over onto its top. The investigation continues. [Frank Sellers]

Hawaii Volcanoes NP

Man Pleads Guilty To Negligent Homicide

A 20-year-old Hilo man pled guilty to negligent homicide in U.S. District Court on June 14th. The charge stemmed from an incident in which he caused a crash in the park that killed his passenger. J.Q. pled guilty as part of a plea agreement with the prosecutor that calls for a 24-month prison term. If the judge imposes a higher sentence in September, J.Q. will be free to withdraw his guilty plea. The maximum prison term for first-degree negligent homicide is ten years. The case was investigated by the National Park Service with assistance from the Hawaii Police Department and FBI and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii. J.Q. was the driver of a pickup truck on Highway 11 on June 12, 2011 when the truck left the roadway and crashed into a lava field. J.Q. and his passenger, 20-year-old B.A., also of Hilo, were thrown from the truck. B.A. was pronounced dead at Hilo Medical Center. Blood taken from J.Q. at the hospital showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.13. [Investigative Services Branch]

Lake Mead NRA

Toddler Drowns In Lake

The local interagency dispatch center received a call regarding a missing toddler in the area of the Las Vegas boat harbor late on the morning of June 15th. Rangers responded and began searching the harbor by foot and water with the assistance of harbor employees. Divers found the child around noon. The toddler showed no signs of life and did not survive. The death is presumed to have been a drowning. [Randy Lavasseur]

Chattahoochee River NRA

Man Drowns In Attempt To Swim Across River

G.P., a 22-year-old Georgia man, drowned in the Chattahoochee River on the evening of Saturday, June 9th. G.P. was at a picnic with friends and family when he and two companions decided to swim across the river. G.P.'s companions made it across, but realized that he hadn't when they got to the far shore. They called 911 and a search was begun that went on until dark. It resumed the next morning, and G.P.'s body was soon found and recovered from 15 feet of water near the point last seen. G.P. was not a strong swimmer, and, according to friends, had not intended to enter the water that day. The incident occurred in the popular south end of the park in the Palisades Unit. The multi-agency search and recovery included the National Park Service, Cobb County Dive Team, Cobb Fire and Police, Sandy Springs Fire Department, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. [Scott Pfeninger, 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/):

Klondike Goldrush NHP - On June 6th, Skagway's Dahl Memorial Clinic had an unusual patient - Dangerous Dan McGrew. No, not the one made famous in the poem by Robert W. Service, but an animatronic mannequin that was a local attraction in Skagway in the 1930s.

Alaska Region - Alaska Region has stepped forward to embrace our increasingly diverse state as an opportunity to build networks and encourage recruitment prospects.

Manzanar NHS - An estimated 1,200 people attended the Manzanar Committee's 43rd Annual Pilgrimage on Saturday, April 28th.

Ocmulgee NM - On June 2nd, Ocmulgee National Monument hosted the leaders of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for the kickoff of a bike tour from the park to Okmulgee, Oklahoma. 

Carlsbad Caverns NP - Kathy Elmore, executive assistant at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, will retire on June 30th with 25 years of federal service.

* * * *

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).

--- ### ---