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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Friday, August 3, 2012 INCIDENTS Glacier NP Search For Missing Concession Employee Enters Sixth Day Crews continued to search yesterday for missing hiker J.K. A boot track matching the sole of J.K.'s boots was found Wednesday, but no additional clues were discovered. Ground search crews found various items, such as sunglasses and a water filter, but the items were ruled out as related to J.K.. The search for J.K., a seasonal employee with Glacier Park, Inc. at Lake McDonald Lodge, began last Sunday after J.K. failed to return from a Saturday day hike. The search is focused on the area between Hidden Lake and Avalanche Lake, specifically in the Floral Park area, which includes some treacherous country filled with rock cliffs, waterfalls, wet and slippery rocks and boulders, and dense vegetation. Anyone who may have been in the Logan Pass, Hidden Lake, Floral Park or Avalanche Lake areas over last weekend and may have seen J.K. is encouraged to contact park dispatch at 406-888-7800. [Denise Germann, Public Affairs Officer] Martin Van Buren NHS Park Closed Due To Nearby Chemical Fire A major chemical fire at a transformer recycling company on Wednesday night caused Columbia County officials to declare a state of emergency and order a mandatory evacuation for those residing within a half mile of the blaze. An advisory was also issued for an area with a radius of 15 miles, within which people were advised to stay inside. That advisory included the park, located about three miles from the site of the fire. In order to ensure the safety of staff and visitors, the park was closed yesterday, but is set to reopen today. EPA air testing yesterday showed normal air quality for the advisory region. [Dan Dattilio, Superintendent] Redwood N&SP Woman Killed When Car Plunges Over Cliff On the morning of July 31st, Redwood rangers and Del Norte County authorities responded to a report of a vehicle and a body over the edge of the approximately 160-foot-high cliff at Enderts Beach Overlook. Prior to plunging over the steep edge, the accident vehicle had crashed through a wooden fence surrounding the overlooks parking area. Over the course of a six hour period, the body of a deceased 53-year-old woman was recovered, her wrecked Jeep Cherokee was towed back up the steep slope and recovered, and Del Norte County Sheriff Office divers with US Coast Guard Air Branch assistance searched the adjacent Pacific Ocean coastline to rule out the presence of other victims. The complexities of the search and recovery operation were successfully executed without further incident. The circumstances surrounding the fatal motor vehicle accident are under investigation. The California Highway Patrol assumed the lead in the investigation of the motor vehicle accident, the county assumed the lead on the death investigation, Del Norte Search and Rescue led search and recovery operations, and Redwood rangers assisted with scene management. [Lorant Veress, North District Ranger] Yosemite NP Cardiac Victim Revived With AED On July 26th, dispatch received several 911 calls regarding an 80-year-old visitor who had collapsed and was unresponsive at the Sentinel Dome trailhead along the Glacier Point Road. As rangers responded to the scene, other visitors with medical training began performing CPR. The bystanders continued CPR for approximately 20 minutes until rangers arrived with an AED. Interpretive ranger and trained emergency medical technician Dick Ewart used the AED and delivered two shocks as advised during the CPR cycle. After the second shock, the man's heart rhythm was converted from ventricular fibrillation to a perfusing rhythm. Ranger paramedics Heidi Schlichting and Ben Grodjesk arrived on scene approximately 20 minutes later and began ALS treatment. The man was taken by park ambulance to the nearest helicopter landing zone and then flown by Mercy Air to a hospital in Fresno. He is currently sedated but stable, and is making good progress in his recovery. [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/): Midwest Region - On August 1st, Midwest Regional Office commemorated its 75th anniversary in Omaha. In 1937, four regional offices were established nationwide, including the one in Omaha. Several reorganizations later, it's still operating from that city and going strong. National Interagency Fire Center - The Northern Rockies and parts of the Great Basin are at highest risk of wildfire during August, according to the monthly Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook, issued on Wednesday by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Southeast Region - Mark Hardgrove, currently superintendent at Virgin Islands National Park, is retiring today after 40 years with National Park Service. Blue Ridge Parkway - Wes Greene, a retired fire chief from Mooresville, North Carolina, has been selected as the park's first full-time safety and occupational health and wellness program manager. Upcoming Training and Conference Calendar - A compilation of upcoming training courses and conferences across the nation, plus online training. Added to this week's listing are the following - a new offering from FLETC and a wilderness interpretation and education workshop at the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center. * * * * 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). --- ### --- |