NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
INCIDENTS
Zion NP
SAR Team Makes Two Rescues In Same Canyon
On the afternoon of June 29th, Kane County contacted the park and asked for assistance in the rescue of a 21-year-old woman who'd fallen between 40 and 60 feet in the Birch Hollow slot canyon just outside the park.
Cindy Purcell, the park's chief ranger, and the Kane County sheriff served as incident commanders. Kane County mobilized its technical rescue team; the park responded with medics, a technical SAR team, and a short-haul rescue crew.
A park ranger/medic and a park EMT rappelled into the canyon, assessed the woman, and stabilized her. Suspecting a possible hip fracture and potentially significant internal injuries, the team quickly secured her in a full body splint and litter and raised her 90 feet out of the deepest part of the slot. The remaining two members of the party were also raised out of the canyon. Still not to the rim of the canyon, a tough climb through a heavily vegetated slope awaited the SAR evacuation team if a short-haul rescue was not possible.
The interagency SAR team remained overnight with the injured woman. On Sunday, the crew of an NPS helicopter utilized a 250-foot line for the short-haul operation. The park medic and patient were lifted out of the canyon and delivered to a helispot north of the Zion Ponderosa, where a Life Flight medical ship was standing by.
The accident was caused by the incorrect use of a technique referred to as simul-rappelling with a non-experienced person on one side of the rope and the victim on the other, counterbalancing each other's weight. Simul-rappelling is considered an advanced skill by many in the canyoneering community. The woman was still 40 to 60 feet from the bottom of the rappel when her tandem partner touched down and apparently let go. This release resulted in her free falling to the canyon floor.
Late the next day, the county received a telephone call reporting a second accident with injuries on the same rappel in Birch Hollow.
A 21-year-old woman, new to canyoneering and rappelling, had rappelled off the end of her rope and fallen 20 to 25 feet. She and her partner apparently misjudged the length of the rappel. The victim, who was the first to descend, sustained spinal and lower limb injuries.
Kane County, Zion NP, and BLM and state park rangers reacted quickly. The woman was stabilized, raised out of the slot, and short-hauled with a medic to an awaiting Life Flight medical ship in just six-and-a-half hours.
[Aly Baltrus, PIO]
Mount Rainier NP
Seriously Injured Climber Rescued Off Emmons Glacier
A Canadian climber sustained multiple traumatic injuries in a fall at the top of the Emmons Glacier on Sunday, July 7th.
The incident was reported at Camp Schurman at approximately 4:00 p.m. by four members of the climber's nine-person climbing party. Rescue operations were immediately set in motion.
An Army Reserve Chinook helicopter inserted two climbing rangers at Liberty Saddle, approximately 300 feet above the scene. They assessed the injured climber and packaged him for flight; he was then extracted by the Chinook at 9:10 p.m. and taken to Madigan Army Medical Center.
Approximately 33 people were assigned to the incident. Partners involved in the mission include Army Reserve's 214th Air Division out of Joint Base Lewis McChord and Northwest Helicopters out of Olympia, Washington.
[Patti Wold, PIO]
Delaware Water Gap NRA
Young Boy Drowns In Delaware River
A nine-year-old boy from Bushkill drowned in the Delaware River late on Monday afternoon. He was fishing along the shoreline just downstream from Bushkill Access with family members when he lost his footing and slipped into the current.
Attempts to rescue the boy by family members and a boater who was passing by were unsuccessful.
The National Park Service's 24-hour communications center received the emergency call at 4:32 p.m. and rangers were on scene within one minute. The National Park Service dive team was called in and divers located and recovered the boy's body in nine feet of water just before 6:00 p.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Pike County Coroner.
[Kathleen Sandt, Public Affairs Officer]
Sleeping Bear Dunes NL
Boy Dies In Canoe Accident Near Park Boundary
During the evening hours of July 1st, a 48-year-old man from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and his eight-year-old son capsized their 17-foot rental canoe in Lake Michigan about a half mile offshore of Sleeping Bear Point. The park boundary extends out to that distance.
They'd left the D.H. Day Campground beach on the mainland in the early morning hours and had traveled 10 miles to North Manitou Island. They were returning to the campground beach when they capsized in rough water.
The father called the campground office via cell and requested assistance. Rangers responded on land and three boats were launched by the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office, Glen Lake Fire Department, and U.S. Coast Guard. A Coast Guard helicopter from Traverse City was also launched. The crew of the helicopter spotted the two victims clinging to their canoe and hoisted them out of the water.
The boy was flown to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City and the father was transported by ambulance. Both were suffering from severe hypothermia and the boy was later pronounced dead. They were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident. The water temperature was in the mid 50's. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the investigation.
[Phil Akers, 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/):
National Mall and Memorial Parks - The rehabilitation of the Washington Monument reached another milestone on July 8th with a ceremony to light the structure's decorative covering. The monument was damaged in an earthquake that hit the Washington area in August 2011 and will be encased in scaffolding until repairs are completed.
Fire and Aviation Management - Members of the National Park Service Fire and Aviation Honor Guard and a National Park Service representative participated in the July 9th memorial service honoring the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew in Prescott, Arizona.
Chattahoochee NRA - Six high school students from Homestretch, a transitional living facility in Fulton County, worked as paid interns at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area for the month of June thanks to a National Park Foundation "America's Best Idea" grant.
Zion NP - Twelve Zion National Park employees graduated from a three-day basic search and rescue course on June 25th. Participating were staff from various divisions, including law enforcement, interpretation, fees, wilderness, and resource management.
Park Planning and Special Studies - During Great Outdoors Week this past June, the National Park Service received both Beacon and Legends awards from the American Recreation Coalition.
* * * *
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).
--- ### ---