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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, October 22, 2012 INCIDENTS Gateway NRA Firefighters Suppress Stubborn Dock Fire On Wednesday, October 15th, park dispatch received a call from a fisherman reporting a “smoldering log” at the very tip of Sandy Hook in a remote area on Coast Guard property. Protection rangers responded in four wheel drive vehicles and found the reported “log” to be a remnant of a large former military dock that had been buried under the primary dune and exposed by erosion. The portion of the dock structure protruding from the dune was an approximately five- by thirty-foot section of timber docking. The top of the dune with the burning former dock was the start of about forty acres of salt marsh. The park was in high fire danger and a fire that enters this vegetated area could threaten the structures on the Coast Guard base. Park firefighters were dispatched and responded via a four wheel drive pickup. The fire was declared under control after about two hours of utilizing hand tools and Class A foam. With continued high winds at the tip of Sandy Hook, the next day the fire reignited. Thick black smoke was visible for miles. Sandy Hook firefighters responded and were assisted by both the Middletown FD with two Type 6 engines as well as the Sea Bright FD with an Army surplus 6 x 6. After extensive overhaul, chain sawing and application of 250 gallons of water with Class A foam, the fire was finally extinguished. The fire was investigated and was found to have been started intentionally by fishermen using a portion of the dock as a makeshift camp stove. A law enforcement investigation is currently underway. [Tim Regan, Fire Chief] Rocky Mountain NP Rangers Rescue Injured Hiker A 45-year-old Texas man fell about 15 feet while near the Gem Lake Trail on the evening of October 18th. Rangers reached him around 10:30 p.m. He was off trail in a difficult area to access about a mile from the Gem Lake trailhead. The man was suffering from numerous injuries, including a serious lower leg injury. Ten park staff were involved in extricating him from a steep, rocky formation and then wheeling him out in a litter to the trailhead. They reached the trailhead 3 a.m. the following morning. The man was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center. [Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs Officer] 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/): Eleanor Roosevelt NHS - An educational gardening program that honors the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt has lead to the creation of a “Garden of Hope, Peace and Justice” at Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt's home. Office of Communications - The 2012 regional Freeman Tilden Awards have been presented to seven innovative National Park Service employees. The annual award recognizes creative and original contributions toward a specific project or program in interpretation or education. Effigy Mounds NM - The park held its 28th annual HawkWatch Weekend during the first weekend of October. HawkWatch is a family-oriented event that both educates the public and celebrates the fall raptor migration along the Mississippi River. Northeast Region - Petersburg National Battlefield has created a program that is simultaneously reclaiming a cemetery's history and restoring the graves and cemetery * * * * The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |