NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, July 27, 2015

INCIDENTS

Harpers Ferry NHP

Fire Destroys Several Non-NPS Buildings In Historic Harpers Ferry

An early morning fire on July 22nd burned four buildings in the commercial district of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Fortunately, no one was injured, but two apartments and eight businesses were destroyed.

The town's commercial district is adjacent to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park; no park facilities were damaged in the fire.

Park rangers assisted with traffic control and street closures. The park's train station and parking lot were utilized by firefighters and police as a staging area for equipment and personnel. The downtown area of Harpers Ferry was closed for several hours while firefighters extinguished the blaze. The park's visitor center and battlefield sites remained open. An investigation into the cause of the fire continues.  

[Rebecca L. Harriett, Superintendent]

Grand Teton NP

Climber Injured By Dislodged Boulder

On Tuesday, July 21st, a large boulder dislodged and rolled over the arm of a hiker/climber, causing severe injury to his limb and prompting a helicopter-assisted rescue by Grand Teton National Park rangers.

T.Z., 26, of Jackson, Wyoming and his partner were on their descent after making a day trek to the Upper Saddle of the Grand Teton when he was injured by the boulder.

Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received an emergency call for help at 12:40 p.m. from T.Z.'s partner and several other climbers, and park rangers immediately initiated a rescue operation. A backcountry ranger and a retired Jenny Lake Subdistrict ranger happened to be approaching the base of the headwall, just below the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton, when the call came in. They promptly advanced to the Lower Saddle, picked up essential gear at the park's backcountry rescue cache, and ascended another 1,200+ feet to the accident site. They reached T.Z. at 2:15 p.m., assessed his condition, and provided emergency medical care until additional park rangers could arrive.  

Due to nature of T.Z.'s injury and concern about attempting to hike him downslope over steep and rocky terrain to reach the Grand Teton's broad and somewhat flat Lower Saddle for an aerial evacuation, a decision was made to use the Teton Interagency contract helicopter to instead short-haul T.Z. directly from his high elevation site on the Grand Teton to the Jenny Lake Rescue Cache on the valley floor.

To prepare T.Z. for the short-haul flight, one additional park ranger was flown to the Lower Saddle. Carrying additional emergency medical gear and a short-haul evacuation suit, the ranger hiked upslope to reach the accident site—a distance of nearly one mile and 1,200 vertical feet of steep terrain.

After he was placed into the evacuation suit and tethered to a short-haul line attached to the belly of the helicopter, T.Z. was flown suspended below the ship—and in tandem with an attending ranger—directly to the Jenny Lake Rescue Cache at Lupine Meadows. He was then transferred to a waiting park ambulance and transported to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson.

It appears that T.Z. stepped on and dislodged several small boulders during his descent, which in turn loosened a large boulder and allowed it to roll over his arm. Because they were pursuing just a day hike to the Upper Saddle and not attempting a technical climb, T.Z. and his partner did not have climbing ropes or harnesses with them. They did have helmets at the time of the incident.  

[Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]

Missouri NRR

One Dead, Two Seriously Injured Following Fall From Cliff

A Nebraska woman drowned in the Missouri River near Running Water, South Dakota, after falling off a cliff on July 18th. Two others were hospitalized in serious condition after attempting to rescue her.

Responding agencies to the accident included the Bon Homme County Sheriff's Office, the Knox County Sheriff's Office, the Santee Sioux Tribal Police, Yankton Search and Rescue, South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks, and Springfield police and emergency crews.

The Bon Homme sheriff reported that a group of four accessed a cliff area adjacent to a popular scenic lookout near the Chief Standing Bear Bridge approximately 60 feet above the Missouri River, and that alcohol was a factor in the accident. No foul play is suspected.

The accident occurred just before the beginning of the annual Blue Moon Resort poker run, where NPS rangers were conducting a joint saturation patrol with South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks, and Nebraska Game and Parks officers, focusing on boating safety and BUI detection.

[James Dahlstrom, Chief Ranger, Niobrara National Scenic River]

Little River Canyon NP

Park Staff Successfully Intervene In Suicide Attempt

DeKalb County dispatch contacted the park on July 22nd regarding a person on the railing on the Alabama Route 35 bridge at Little River Falls, about half a mile from park headquarters.

Chief Ranger Troy Mueller responded first and found a despondent woman in her early 70's on the opposite side of the railing. Mueller talked to the woman at length and over time was able to get her to hold his hand. After more talking, she was convinced that jumping to the rocks below was not a good idea and decided that she did not want to die.

The park's administrative officer and superintendent (both former chief rangers) then moved in and helped haul the woman over the railing and sat and talked with her until EMS arrived. The woman was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

[Steve Black, Superintendent]

Grand Canyon NP

Three Suicides Prevented Over Four Days

During the period from Thursday July 16th through Sunday July 19th, rangers, ISB agents and Grand Canyon fire and aviation personnel conducted aggressive investigations and search operations to successfully assist three separate people who had travelled to Grand Canyon with the expressed intent of committing suicide.

One of the threes had threated to commit “HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_cop" suicide by cop.” All three were located and transported Flagstaff for mental health evaluations without incident.

Rangers from several different work units came together as effective teams on these rapidly evolving and dynamic incidents.

[James Purcell, Desert View Subdistrict Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's webpage editions of InsideNPS (available to NPS employees only) and the Morning Report (available to all readers):

John Day Fossil Beds NM - On July 25th, John Day Fossil Beds commemorated three major anniversaries - the 40th anniversary of the monument, the 10th anniversary of the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, and the 150th anniversary of the first fossil expedition to the area by Thomas Condon.

Fort Vancouver NHS - Students, instructors, mentors, and National Park Service staff recently came together in the park to discuss ways to preserve and tell the story of a historic place when that place has changed.

Office of Communications - The NPS has awarded more than $1.19 million in American battlefield protection grants to research, document, or interpret dozens of significant American battlefields representing more than 300 years of history.

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 Service. This report covers activities in Congress for the week ending July 24th.

Olympic NP - Lee Taylor, a 30-year career employee of the National Park Service, has been selected to serve as the park's deputy superintendent. Taylor is currently the superintendent of San Juan Island National Historical Park.

To see the full text of these stories, readers should go to one or the other of the following sites:

NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index

Non-NPS employees - HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/

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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