NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, May 3, 2013

INCIDENTS

White Sands NM

Two Visitors Rescued In Separate Incidents

Park staff, supported by personnel from other agencies, were involved in two rescues earlier this week - one on Sunday and the other on Monday. On the afternoon of Sunday, April 29th, Otero County dispatch received a report of a park visitor with a back injury who was in need of help. The 32-year-old woman was walking down a sand dune when she tripped and fell, rolled down the dune, and landed on a section of hard-packed playa. Rangers Luke Hayden, Ryan Moore and Kelly Roche responded and provided EMS care until Alamo West EMS and American Medical Response (AMR) arrived with paramedics and took over. AMR transported the woman to a local hospital, where she received additional care and later was transported to an El Paso, Texas, hospital for treatment of a dislocated hip. On the following afternoon, Otero County dispatch received a 911 call from a 25-year-old hiker who was lost in the dunes. He'd left his vehicle around 10 a.m. and hiked about 14 miles barefoot. He said that he hiked cross country when he realized he was lost and out of water and provided coordinates from his smart phone's GPS application. Rangers and Alamo West SAR personnel responded to the coordinates that were provided, but found no sign of the lost hiker, He was contacted again by cell phone. Using the hiker's description of the unique vegetation and distant structures he could see, David Bustos, the park's chief of resources, was able to hone in on the location and find the hiker's footprints. He was located about eight miles from his car in the parabolic dunes along the monument's remote northern boundary. He was treated in the field for blisters and transported by UTV back to the command post, where he was assessed and released. The search was managed under a unified command with NPS and Alamo West SAR. The park, which has limited staff, expressed its appreciation for the support received through their partnerships with Alamo West, American Medical Response, Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range. [Kelly Roche, 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/):

Gateway NRA - The Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway NRA reopened to the public yesterday, a little more than six months after Hurricane Sandy devastated the area.

Intermountain Region - Denis Davis, Utah state coordinator for Intermountain Region, is retiring on May 3rd after 37 years of federal government service.

Servicewide Training Calendar - Added to this week's calendar are webinars on coaching and on recreation fees and the public participation program process.

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Guidance on incident notification can be found under the “Hot Topics” heading on InsideNPS or at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504.

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@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).

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