RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Monday, June 3, 1991
INCIDENTS
90-411 - Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona) - Followup on Drug Arrests
Last November, rangers and Customs officers arrested J.E.M.
for attempting to smuggle drugs into the United
States in a hidden compartment in his vehicle's gas tank. On
April 26th, a jury in U.S. District Court in Tucson found
J.E.M. guilty of two counts of importation of 32 pounds of
cocaine and 12 pounds of marijuana and two counts of intent to
distribute and sell them in the United States. Ranger Victor
Carrasco assisted Customs with interrogation and investigation
and was a key prosecution witness during the two-day trial.
[Cheto Olais, CR, ORPI, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke,
RAD/WRO, 6/3]
91-191 - Organ Pipe Cactus (Arizona) - Assist on Investigation
On February 23rd, Customs officers asked rangers to make a
traffic stop on two individuals who had just left the border
crossing at Lukeville under suspicious circumstances. The
rangers stopped the pair and brought them back to Lukeville for
further questioning. Both were subsequently released. On March
3rd, investigators from the police department in Gilbert,
Arizona, notified rangers that the two were suspects in the
murder of an American woman in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, 65 miles
south of the park. Officers were unaware of the crime at the
time of the border crossing incident. Detectives were able to
develop evidence and information from the traffic stop made by
the rangers, however, and are employing it in an investigation
of the two suspects and the victim's husband for possible
charges of fraud, theft, hindering a prosecution, conspiracy to
commit murder, and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. The
investigation is being conducted by attorney generals' offices
for the states of Arizona and Sonora (Mexico). [Cheto Olais, CR,
ORPI, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 6/3]
91-192 - Zion (Utah) - Drowning
Just after 9:00 p.m. on May 30th, rangers were notified that
T.W., an 18-month-old child from Las Vegas, was missing
in Watchman campground and hadn't been seen for half an hour. A
few minutes later, friends of the family spotted the boy in the
water about 200 yards downstream from the point where he'd last
been seen. He was pulled from the river, and a doctor who was
in the campground immediately began CPR. Despite assistance
from rangers and a responding ambulance crew and physician's
assistant, efforts to resuscitate him proved fruitless. [Larry
Van Slyke, CR, ZION, via telefax from J.T. Reynolds, RAD/RMRO,
5/30]
91-193 - Vicksburg (Mississippi) - ARPA Convictions
On May 20th, N.D. and A.R., both of Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, entered guilty pleas to ARPA violations which
occurred in Vicksburg on May 27, 1990. Under terms of the plea
agreement, N.D. and A.R. will:
each pay a fine of $5,000;
forfeit all items seized in connection with the violations,
including four metal detectors and a 1988 fourbyfour Ford Bronco
valued at $12,000;
be barred from all federal and state Civil War parks for two
years;
complete a minimum of at least 200 hours of community service;
each pay a special assessment of $25; and
cooperate fully with the government in providing details of the
incident.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 26th. Rangers investigated the
incident with the assistance of NPS archeologists and
cartographers from Big South Fork and from the Southeastern
Archeological Center in Tallahassee, Florida. [News release,
VICK, 5/30]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION Preparedness Level II
One geographic area experiencing high fire danger. Numerous
Class A, B, and C fires occurring and a potential exists for
escapes to larger (project) fires. Minimal mobilization of
resources from other geographic areas occurring. The potential
exists for mobilizing additional resources from other geographic
areas.
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 6/2 6/3 Status
AK FWS Kenai NWR Pothole T1 8,400 7,900 Yes
NOTES:
Fires - Asterisk indicates newly reported fire (on this report).
T1 and T2 indicate assigned Type I and Type II Teams.
Status - The following abbreviations are employed:
* NR No report received * MS Modified suppression strategy
* CN Contained * MN Being monitored
* CL Controlled * None No estimate of containment
* CS Confinement strategy * Yes Fire has been contained
3) ANALYSIS - Fire activity remains low.
4) PROGNOSIS - No resource shortages anticipated.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530 MDT, 6/3]
CALENDAR
Asterisk (*) indicates new entry; plus (+) indicates revised
entry subsequent comments explain the revision. Brackets at
end of entry indicate source of information:
June 10-14 Oil Spill Response and Contingency Planning,
Olympic NP, Sequim, WA. Workshop for NPS personnel who direct
the development of park or regional oil/hazardous substances
spill contingency plans. Funded by benefitting account. For
application procedures, contact your regional training office;
for further information, contact course coordinator Frank Buono
at AEDC (602-638-2691). [John Donahue, EQD/WASO]
June 10-21 National Wildfire Investigation Training, Boise, ID.
Funded by benefitting accounts. Contact your regional fire
coordinator to see if your attendance qualifies for FIREPRO
funding. For application procedures, contact your regional
training office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
* June 20-24 "Surviving the Elements", University of
Washington, Seattle, WA. The course updates participants on
medical issues relating to surviving the elements and is geared
towards physicians and paramedics who deal with high altitude,
cold exposure and other environmental concerns. For more
information, contact the Office of Continuing Medical Education,
University of Washington, XF1, Seattle, WA 98195. [Bill Pierce,
DETO]
June 25-September 6 Basic Law Enforcement for Land Management
Agencies Training, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Funded by LEEDC/FLETC.
For application procedures, contact your regional training
office. [Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
* July 8-12 Certified Fitness Coordinator Program, South Lake
Tahoe, CA. Sponsored by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute,
University of Maryland. The program is directed toward
individuals responsible for daytoday management of physical
fitness programs. For additional information, contact Wes
Bender, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, at 301-220-7250.
[Bill Pierce, DETO]
* July 8-19 Physical Fitness Coordinator Training Program,
FLETC, Glynco, GA. Funded by benefitting accounts. For
application procedures, contact your regional training office.
[Carole Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
* August 5-16 Driver Instructor Training Program, FLETC,
Glynco, GA. Funded by benefitting accounts. For application
procedures, contact your regional training office. [Carole
Pfeifer, LEEDC/FLETC]
* August 12-16 Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Boating Accident
Investigation Seminar, Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT. The
seminar is intended for experienced field officers and marine
investigators, and will provide specialized education in
properly documenting, analyzing and reconstructing recreational
boating accidents. Interested parties should contact Jack
Schamp at FTS 268-4209 (202-208-4209). [Jack Schamp, RAD/WASO]
* August 13-14 Second Annual Science Conference, Mammoth Cave
NP, Kentucky. This colloquium will feature research on area
ecology and air quality and provide updates on the park's water
quality monitoring program. Both plenary and concurrent
sessions will be held. Papers must be submitted no later than
July 15th in order to be accepted. For further information,
contact Jeff Bradybaugh at 502-758-2238. [Jeff Bradybaugh, MACA]
(Calendar appears in the morning report every other Monday. If
you know of a conference, meeting or training session with
Servicewide interest and implications, please provide the
specifics to Bill Halainen in Ranger Activities).
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Dabney at resource study workshop, Denver, CO, and
meeting with staff of Branch of Fire & Aviation, Boise, ID (6/4-6/6).
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Halainen at incident strategic
communications working team steering group meeting, Denver, CO
(6/6-6/7).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Hurd at aviation management council meeting,
Boise, ID (6/4-6/8); Clark instructing S490, Fort Mitchel, KY (6/2-6/7);
Bristol at InciNet meeting, Washington, DC (6/3-6/6); Gale at I520/620
steering committee meeting and site visit to VOYA, Duluth and
International Falls, MN (6/2-6/8).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: WASO-RANGER (Branch of R&VP); WASO-FIRE-WO (Branch of Fire)
SEAdog: 1/650