RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Tuesday, July 9, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-266 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Fatality
Early on the morning of July 4th, D.J., 43, and his
15-year-old son, K.J., both of Tucson, Arizona, left West
Yellowstone in their homemade, two-seat, tandem-design airplane
and headed for Casper, Wyoming. The aircraft apparently
experienced trouble shortly after takeoff. D.J., the
pilot, attempted to make an emergency landing near Moose Meadows
on the southeast shore of Shoshone Lake, but something caught
the plane's front wheel and tipped it over into shallow water.
K.J. escaped the crash with minor injuries. He tried
unsuccessfully to rescue his father, who was trapped in the
plane and apparently drowned. K.J. sat on the plane waiting
for help, then jumped into the water, waded to shore, and
contacted some people who notified rangers. K.J. was
transported to Grant Village and later taken to his aunt's home
in West Yellowstone, where his mother was to meet him. The NTSB
was notified and D.J.'s body was recovered later in
the day. The park has also learned that Wyoming Aeronautics
received a may day prior to the crash. [Steve Frye, YELL, via
telefax from J.T. Reynolds, RAD/RMRO, 7/5]
91-267 - Zion (Utah) - Conviction of Ranger
On June 26th, P.K., a former permanent ranger and
backcountry coordinator at Zion, pled guilty in U.S. District
Court to one count of felony theft of government property. The
guilty plea was part of a plea agreement in which two other
felony counts were dismissed and came the day before Kirkland
was to have appeared before a jury on a three-count felony
indictment. The charges followed a month-long investigation
which began in February and centered around the theft of monies
from the park's campground receipts. P.K. must also make
restitution for the monies stolen. P.K.'s criminal
activities led to his termination from the Service on June 8th.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 26th. [Larry Van Slyke, CR,
ZION, via telefax from J.T. Reynolds, RAD/RMRO, 7/5]
91-268 - Ozark (Missouri) - Fatality
S.C., 26, of Dexter, Iowa, was floating on the Current
River in Troublesome Hollow with some friends when he
experienced a severe asthma attack. Although a nurse in the
party gave him to injections of asthma-medication, S.C. expired.
Rangers were notified late in the evening and responded to the
scene by boat. Overexertion, heat and alcohol appear to have
been contributing factors. [Tom Graham, CR, OZAR, via
CompuServe message from Tom Thompson, RAD/MWRO, 7/5]
91-269 - Indiana Dunes (Indiana) - Drowning
J.J.H., 9, of South Bend, Indiana, was standing on
a sandbar just off the beach at Mt. Baldy when he was apparently
knocked off his feet by a one to twofoot wave. His uncle and
other youths who were with him searched for J.J.H. for five to
ten minutes before finding him beneath the lake's water. No one
in the group knew CPR, but they did attempt external heart
massage. The park was notified, and ranger Tim Trainer
responded with Coast Guard and local EMS personnel. They
relieved two visitors who had begun CPR on J.J.H. in the
interim and continued resuscitation efforts while he was
transported to a hospital via Coast Guard vessel and ambulance.
Despite their efforts, the boy died. Rangers Joni Jones and Joe
Wieszczyk are investigating the incident. [Dick Littlefield, CR,
INDU, via telefax from John Townsend, RAD/MWRO, 7/8]
91-270 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Drug Interdiction
Activities
A number of drug interdiction activities took place in the park
during the month of June. On June 3rd, 15th and 18th, rangers
employed intelligence gathered through an interagency drug task
force in the seizure of a total of 25 highly cultivated
marijuana plants. On June 28th, park investigators learned that
a house located inside the park was being used as an indoor
growing facility. As a result of the subsequent investigation,
search warrants for the premises were obtained and executed with
the assistance of the Fayette County sheriff's office. A total
of 14 plants and 500 seeds were confiscated and arrest warrants
were issued for those suspected of having grown the plants.
Along with these activities, the park and Fayette County
sheriff's office have put in service their jointlyowned,
drugtrained, twoyearold German shepherd, Kiwi. The dog, which
was trained in Europe and the United States, will be utilized
under a cooperative agreement with the sheriff's office. Kiwi's
handler is a sergeant for the sheriff's office and a parttime
seasonal ranger in the park. During the month of June, Kiwi
successfully located marijuana and marijuana seeds on two
different occasions, and also made his debut as an educational
tool in numerous schools in the county. While not specifically
trained to find green, leafy, onthevine marijuana, the dog
discovered nine plants in a recent interagency drug raid.
[Telefax from Bill Blake, CR, NERI, 7/2]
[More pending incident reports tomorrow...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) ACTIVITY LEVEL Planning Level II
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 7/8 7/9 Status
AK NPS Denali B664 8,000 NR NEC
B514 (Slippery) 60 NR NEC
B515 (Clone) 30 NR NEC
B648 (Otter Creek) 200 NR NEC
B649 (Sprucefish) 600 NR NEC
Yukon-Charlie B339 (Erickson) 16,720 NR NEC
Gates of Arctic B436 (Kobuk River) 600 NR NEC
B616 25 NR NEC
BIA Up. Yukon Zone B381 41,882 41,882 NEC
Southwest Area B613 T2 3,896 3,896 CN 7/12
FWS Up. Yukon Zone B460 32,750 40,000 NEC
Southwest Area B559 5,700 5,760 NEC
AK Up. Yukon Zone B564 2,990 2,990 NEC
Tanana Zone B492 T2 17,510 17,510 NEC
113415 1,500 1,500 NEC
Southwest Area B552 T2 22,329 NR NEC
B402 T2 10,100 10,710 CN 7/15
WA WA State Beehive 2 200 360 CN
WY NPS Yellowstone Pelican 250 260 CN 7/12
CO USFS Grand Mesa Mill Creek 243 288 CN 7/12
ID USFS Challis * Kwis 150 NEC
Alaska also has 18 fires under modified suppression strategy for
93,069 acres and 62 fires under limited suppression for 313,981 acres.
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 NEC No estimate of containment
CS Confinement strategy DM Demobed
3) 1990/1991 COMPARATIVE ACTIVITY SUMMARY
Fires Acres
1990 (Year-to-date) 35,120 988,166
1991 (Year-to-date) 37,873 1,094,439
1990-1991 (% difference) + 8% + 11%
4) FIRE NARRATIVES
Yellowstone (Wyoming)
* Pelican Fire - The acreage burned by the fire was revised to
313 acres yesterday based upon aerial mapping and a GIS run. As
of yesterday, the fire was 50% contained, and full containment
was estimated for July 11th. Firefighters made a good deal of
progress Sunday afternoon and are now in the process of hooking
around the head of the fire with the assistance of two air
tankers from Idaho. Fuel moistures 18% to 25% in 1,000-hour to
10,000-hour fuels, 10% in 10-hour fuels, and 95% to 110% in live
needles have been creating some problems. Alpine fir are
torching, and the fire has moved into spruce; spotting is
occurring as far as a quarter mile from the fire. Spots have
been held, partly because they've occurred in old burn areas
(1953 and 1981) where firefighters have been able to hold them
in check.
5) ANALYSIS - Cooler weather in Alaska has made it possible for
crews to make significant headway in mopping up fires. The
monsoon moisture pattern is developing over the Southwest and
southern Great Basin, but it is hot and dry elsewhere in the
Lower 48.
6) PROGNOSIS - Initial attack activity is expected to continue
because of thunderstorms and high temperatures. No resource
shortages are expected.
[Fire Management Situation Report, NIFCC Intelligence Section,
7/9; NICC Daily Situation Report, 7/8; report from Branch of
Fire and Aviation, 7/8]
THIS DAY IN NPS SAR HISTORY...
July 9, 1970 Rangers Don Chase, Rick Gale and Jerry Phillips
went to Yuma, Arizona, to help the Los Angeles sheriff's
department recover marines lost in a deep mine. The trio
employed scuba gear in their efforts despite the fact that the
equipment was illsuited for poisonous mine gases. Temperatures
inside the mine exceeded 140 degrees. [Butch Farabee, PAIS]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Departs RAD en route to Moab, Utah, and
Canyonlands (7/10 indefinite...)
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Halainen on AL (7/12).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Bristol on AL (7/3-7/12); Farrel at
wildland/urban interface meeting, Washington, DC (7/8-7/12);
Rutter at FFS budget conference, Washington, DC (7/8-7/12); Gale
at Yosemite fire review report meeting, Phoenix, AZ (7/9-7/10).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities