NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

INCIDENTS

Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs

Concession Employees Involved In Tragic Car Accident

In the early morning hours of June 23rd, four employees of Kings Canyon Park Services, a concession at Kings Canyon National Park, were involved in a car crash just outside the park boundaries. A 21-year-old man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an 18-year-old man from Badger, California, died in the accident; a 24-year-old woman from Selma, California, and a 22-year-old woman from Fresno, California, survived. The incident is under investigation. Kings Canyon National Park staff assisted at the accident scene. Superintendent Karen Taylor-Goodrich made this statement: “The National Park Service is saddened by this tragedy. We offer our condolences to the families of those deceased and the staff of Kings Canyon Park Services." [Dana Dierkes, Public Affairs Specialist]

Yosemite NP

Park Hosts Interagency Commercial Bus Inspections

On June 14th and 15th, Yosemite held a surprise two-day joint agency bus inspection that focused on commercial tour buses operating within park boundaries. The bus inspections were completed jointly by rangers, inspectors from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, representatives from the California Public Utilities Commission Enforcement Division, and law enforcement officers from the California Highway Patrol, San Francisco Police Department and Modesto Police Department. A total of 65 buses were inspected. Thirty-two buses were found to have no violations; the remaining 33 were found to have a total of 73 violations, ranging from mechanical deficiencies to a variety of driver-related violations. Three drivers were placed out of service for driver's license and logbook violations and four buses were placed out of service for serious mechanical deficiencies, including three with defective brakes. Two buses were found to have cracked brake rotors on their drive wheels and one bus was discovered to have oil on its alternator, which could cause an engine fire. The park has been hosting these surprise bus inspections twice each year for over ten years. Yosemite's program has gained national recognition and is emulated by other agencies and parks around the country. Through the efforts of dedicated NPS managers, staff, and partner agency team members, hundreds of buses have been thoroughly inspected and thousands of safety-related violations have been discovered and corrected, further enhancing the safety of the traveling public on federally managed lands. [Kevin Killian, Deputy Chief Ranger]

Saguaro NP

Motorcyclist Killed In Head-On Collision

On the afternoon of June 30th, a 62-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle accident on Picture Rocks Road. Preliminary investigation indicates that he was traveling eastbound when he entered a curve and lost control, skidded into the opposing lane, and was struck by a westbound sports utility vehicle. CPR was begun at the scene and the man was airlifted to University Medical Center in Tucson, where he was pronounced dead. [Robert Stinson, 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/):

Richmond NBP - Richmond National Battlefield Park's commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Seven Days' battles concluded on Sunday with a weekend of programming at the park's Glendale and Malvern Hill battlefields that coincided with the 150th anniversary of these final battles of the campaign.

Park Facility Management Division - The May/June issue of Park Facility Management Division Update is now available online. A link is provided.

NPS Alumni - Keith E. Miller, 87, retired career ranger, past superintendent of Acadia and North Cascades, and former ARD for Southwest Region, passed away on June 27th in Bar Harbor, Maine.

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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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