NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

INCIDENTS

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs

Park Staff Treat And Evacuate Injured Firefighter

Park rangers and members of a helicopter crew assisted an injured firefighter on the Piute Fire Complex in Sequoia National Forest on August 6th. A firefighter on a Type 1 crew in steep and difficult terrain near active fire sustained a serious foot injury and needed medical evacuation from the fire line. The incident management team accordingly requested a helicopter evacuation. The park responded with its contracted Eurocopter AS350-B3 and a ranger-medic qualified in short-haul. After evaluating the scene and configuring the helicopter for short-haul, the crew successfully extracted the firefighter and transferred him to advanced medical care.

“Rangers and helitack crew members train together regularly for short-haul evacuations in the remote wilderness of the parks,” said Kevin Hendricks, the park's chief ranger. “It is rewarding to use these skills beyond park boundaries to assist a firefighter in need.” [Malinee Crapsey, Acting PIO]

Crater Lake NP

Follow-up On Life Saved Through Effective Intervention

On July 16th, park staff responded to a woman complaining of chest pain at the park's remote north entrance station (click on HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Incidents& id=6264" this link for the initial report). The woman subsequently went into cardiac arrest and was successfully resuscitated by park EMS personnel. The cardiologist who treated the woman recently called the park to report that the incident had had a positive outcome and to say that every link in the chain of response and treatment resulted in saving her life. Key factors included the following:

Prompt recognition of the problem.

Effective CPR with fast, deep chest compressions.

Prompt use of an AED.

Early ordering of the life flight, as the woman likely would not have survived a ground transport.

Getting the patient on a cardiac and breathing machine as soon as she arrived at the hospital in Medford.

Implanting a new stent and placing the patient on a hypothermia machine.

The cardiologist said that survival rates for CPR/AED events are less than 10%. The woman's previously implanted stent had become completely clogged. She arrested 12 times after arriving at the hospital and was shocked back each time. But she was off the cardiac machine within three days, was off breathing tubes and other interventions within seven days, and was discharged from the hospital 12 days following the incident. While the full extent of damage to her heart may not be known for a few more weeks, her survival is the result of every person in the chain of care working together, providing excellent treatment and making wise decisions. The doctor plans to submit the story of the incident to the American Heart Association due to the remote nature of the incident and the positive outcome. [Curt R. Dimmick, Chief Park 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/):

Yellowstone NP - The park held its fifth annual “Weed Pull” in Mammoth Hot Springs on August 2nd. Among the nearly 1300 vascular plant species found in Yellowstone, 218 nonnative species have been identified. The park treats approximately 40 species of nonnative plants a year. 

Centennial Office - The Centennial Office has launched a new national, public website celebrating "A Call To Action" successes from across the National Park Service.

North Cascades NP - A business plan has been developed for North Cascades National Park to increase the understanding of how the park utilizes its financial and human resources.

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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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