NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, September 9, 2013
INCIDENTS
Intermountain Region
NPS SAR Personnel Assist In Search For Missing Firefighter
Fifteen NPS SAR personnel were deployed through the EICC to assist with the T.A. search (Holiday Incident) on the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico in late August. T.A., 41, a Forest Service firefighter, went missing in the Jemez Mountains on Friday, August 30th.
The search effort was eventually managed under unified command between a Type 1 team (Reinharz) and the State of New Mexico. NPS SAR personnel included four technical specialists (search management), ten technical rescue (TRT2) searchers, and one liaison officer. The branch chief for search and rescue for the NPS coordinated with the incident to provide technical assistance and resource identification.
Additional NPS personnel assigned to the incident included a wildland fire crew from Buffalo National River and overhead personnel assigned as members of the Type 1 team. Over the course of the week, 280 personnel from 18 government agencies employed horses, dogs, aircraft, and heat-seeking devices in the search, walking side by side through the rugged terrain of mesas separated by steep canyons. A cellular forensics analyst with the USAF/Civil Air Patrol conducted an examination of available cell phone data to assist in search planning.
On Friday, September 6th, a fire crew from Jemez Pueblo found T.A.'s body. Incident personnel said that it appeared that he died on August 30th after crashing his ATV as he drove from the top of Stable Mesa toward a canyon to reach Schoolhouse Mesa, where a small forest fire had been reported the previous day.
“He wasn't in the deep ravines,” said Bob Rodgers, New Mexico search and rescue resource officer. “He was basically in a low-lying drainage, basically in the beginning of those valleys. He was in an area that had been searched. He was about a quarter mile off the road, so we couldn't see him from there, especially because he was in the drainage, and the vegetation prevented aircraft from seeing him.”
An accident-reconstruction team was brought to the accident scene following the discovery of his body. T.A. was wearing a helmet and was dressed in the required fire-resistant yellow shirt, green pants and heavy leather boots when he rode off into the forest a week ago on a red Polaris 400 ATV.
When he failed to answer two-way radio calls or his cell phone, a search was immediately launched. T.A. lived in Jemez Springs with his pregnant wife, Heidi, and their three-year-old son.
T.A. grew up in Coarsegold, California, graduated from Yosemite High School in Oakhurst, California, in 1990 and later served in the U.S. Navy. T.A. had worked for the Forest Service for about ten years.
Incident personnel formed a formal procession to bring Adam's body back to the incident command post, where family members had gathered.
“My sincere appreciation and thanks for your efforts and assistance in regard to the folk you sent us,” said Richard Munoz Nieto, assistant director for fire operations and aviation management for the Forest Service's Region 3. “I hope you know I and my staff will be there for you as well, should you ever need our assistance.”
[Ken Phillips, Branch Chief of Search and Rescue, WASO]
Yellowstone NP
Child Dies From Gunshot In Yellowstone Campground
A young girl was fatally injured as a result of an incident which occurred in a park campground early on Saturday morning.
Park rangers responded to a 911 call from a woman at the Grant Village Campground who told the emergency dispatcher that her three-year-old daughter had just shot herself with a handgun.
Resuscitation efforts by responding emergency medical staff were unsuccessful. The incident remains under investigation.
[Public Affairs]
North Cascades NP
Massive Mud And Rock Slide Hits Stehekin
A large and powerful storm cell triggered a massive mud and rock slide in the community of Stehekin last Thursday night.
Many vehicles in the long term parking area and at the mouth of Imus Creek were buried. Businesses affected were Discovery Bikes and Stehekin Reservations and Fly Fishing Shop. Most of the bicycles were damaged or washed into Lake Chelan and the log cabin office for fly fishing and reservations was surrounded by mud and rocks.
A historic NPS storage shed at the Imus Cabin was filled with water and mud, the storage shed at the Lake House was damaged, and mud encroached on the public laundry building. Gas is currently turned off to that area to reduce the potential for fire. There were no injuries.
National Park employees, assisted by local residents, are clearing the road and currently it is partially open for shuttle service and the public. Assessment of the work needed to recover the damaged vehicles and to stabilize the slide debris is currently underway.
Bicycle rentals are temporarily suspended, shuttle buses are operating as passage through the site is allowed. NPS boats have been shuttling people around the slide area to ensure pedestrian safety. The Imus Trail is closed to public use pending a safety assessment, trail repair and bridge replacement.
Additional images of the mudslide can be found at the link below.
[Ken Hires, Stehekin District Interpreter]
HYPERLINK "http://www.flickr.com/photos/northcascadesnationalpark/sets/72157635421195577/" http://www.flickr.com/photos/northcascadesnationalpark/sets/72157635421195577/
Grand Teton NP
Climber Falls To His Death In Garnet Canyon
A 40-year-old Colorado climber fell to his death on the evening of September 8th while scouting for a campsite in Garnet Canyon following a storm with heavy rain and hail.
E.T. and his climbing partner intended to spend Friday night at a backcountry camping area known as the Petzoldt Caves before climbing the Grand Teton (13,770 feet) on Saturday. E.T. was in the Caves area looking for a campsite when he apparently fell over a nearby cliff band.
Multiple 911 calls were placed just before 6 p.m. Friday, reporting that a man had fallen nearly 100 feet and was unconscious. Two physicians in the area rappelled to E.T.'s location and with the help of bystanders attempted to provide emergency medical care.
Three park rangers were flown into the Meadows of Garnet Canyon, arriving on scene just after 7 p.m. Teton Interagency dispatchers and rescuers used text messages to communicate with the bystanders on scene due to challenges with phone reception. This allowed park rangers to have a better understanding of what was happening and to provide support remotely until they arrived on scene.
CPR efforts were underway when rangers arrived, but were terminated shortly thereafter. Due to lingering weather and fading light, rangers determined they would need to complete the recovery operation the following day.
On Saturday morning, four rangers were flown to a nearby landing zone in Garnet Canyon. One ranger served as a lookout for rockfall while the three others completed the recovery and scene investigation. Using a Teton Interagency contract helicopter, rangers then flew E.T.'s body from Garnet Canyon to the park's rescue cache at Lupine Meadows, where his body was turned over to the Teton County coroner.
[Public Affairs]
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/):
Everglades NP - On August 28th, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced a $90 million state commitment to match federal funds for a joint federal-state project to build the next portion of Tamiami Trail bridging.
Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS - On August 17th, the park and its several partners presented the Atlanta Global Freedom Exposition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Dr. King's historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
John Muir NHS - It will soon be possible to explore online a digital 3D model of John Muir's home in California and his birthplace in Scotland thanks to CyArk, an organization that uses laser technology to document heritage sites worldwide.
Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities since August 3rd.
Natural Resource Stewardship and Science - Dr. Leigh Welling, chief of the Climate Change Response Program, and Dr. Kurt Fristrup, chief of the Science and Technology Branch of the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, have received DOI Superior Service Awards
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The Morning Report is 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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