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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, July 2, 2012 INCIDENTS Mount Rainier NP Memorial Service Held For Ranger Nick Hall A memorial service for Ranger Nick Hall last Friday was attended by an estimated 450 people, filling both floors of the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. Many others watched the service via live streaming video at the Paradise Inn and at other locations across the park and country. The service began at 10 a.m. and lasted approximately 90 minutes. Hall was remembered in presentations by both his father Carter and brother Aaron, and by several friends and coworkers. Video coverage of the service can be viewed and downloaded at the DVIDS, Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, website HYPERLINK "http://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/2477_" http://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/2477. Park staff and volunteers extend their gratitude to friends and donors, including Washington's National Park Fund, the Soup Ladies and members of the park staff who contributed support in preparation for the memorial service and reception that followed. Meanwhile, park staff await a favorable weather window to allow another attempt to remove Hall from the mountain. Current forecasts indicate Monday may provide a short window of opportunity for a safe recovery. Staff will continue to monitor weather and mountain conditions. Safety of park staff remains the priority for both the Hall family and the park. Rangers attempted to retrieve Hall from Mount Rainier on Thursday, but were forced to call off the mission due to high winds and deteriorating weather. Nick Hall died on June 21st while responding to a rescue of four injured climbers on Mount Rainier. All four climbers were safely evacuated from the mountain. [Barb Maynes, PIO] Yosemite NP Rescuers Heli-Rappel To Injured Woman Near Glacier Point On Monday, June 18th, Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue responded to a report of a 63-year-old woman with a compound ankle fracture about a mile-and-a-half down the Panorama Trail near Glacier Point. Due to limited staffing, the severity of the injury, and the time it would take to reach her, the team decided to insert one paramedic and one park medic via heli-rappel to the woman's location. Shortly after receiving the call, Helicopter 551 departed Yosemite Valley. The helicopter was rigged for the rappel operation and two rescuers were lowered to a point about 30 yards from the woman's location. Rescuers were also assisted on scene by two EMT's. They immediately began treating the patient and preparing for a short haul extraction back to Yosemite Valley. The woman was then flown to an ambulance in Yosemite Valley and transported to Fresno, California, for further care. This incident marks the first use of live helicopter rappel since the new NPS helicopter rappel operations plan was put into effect. The program has been at a standstill since 2010, when a rappeller was tragically killed during a live rappel. The new program utilizes a combination of the HYPERLINK "http://www.petzl.com/en/pro/self-braking-descenders/rig" Petzl RIG descent device and nylon HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kernmantle" kernmantle static rope to deliver search and rescue and fire personnel to incidents where access is limited or time is critical. [Kevin Killian, Deputy 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/): Office of the Comptroller - The NPS Scorecard is now available for FY 2011. Changes have been made to the Scorecard to make it easier to understand and more useful as a park management tool. Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities during the week ending on June 29th. Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs - Archeologist Tom Burge, long-time lead for the cultural resources program at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, retired on June 2nd. Midwest Region - Mark Weaver, currently superintendent at Nicodemus NHS in Kansas, will assume management of the trail from offices in Lowell, Michigan, in late August. Weaver is a Michigan native and nearly 20-year veteran of the NPS. * * * * 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). --- ### --- |