RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
CC: RAD Information Net
Day/date: Tuesday, October 1, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-527 - Lake Mead (Nevada) - Boating Accident with Two Fatalities
Two boats operated by friends collided about three and a half
miles north of Cottonwood Cove around 10:30 p.m. on the 28th,
causing the deaths of two of the four occupants and serious
injuries to the remaining pair. The accident, which took place
within the view of their families on shore, occurred when one
boat turned left in front of the second boat. Since the first
boat did not have the appropriate lights working, the operator
of the second boat did not see it and ran over the top of it.
Both parties in the first boat the operator, J.H., 35,
of Huntington Beach, California, and his passenger, D.O.,
32, of Compton, California were killed instantly. The
pair in the second boat were evacuated to a hospital; although
their injuries are serious, they are not lifethreatening.
D.O.'s body was found the next day by park divers. She was the
sister of the second boat's operator. Factors involved in the
accident include lack of proper lighting on the first boat,
night time operation, excessive speed, and, possibly,
consumption of alcohol. [Dale Antonich, CR, LAME, via
CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 9/30]
91-528 - Mount Rainier (Washington) - Rescue
J.T., 30, of Federal Way, Washington, fell into Ranger
Creek near Ranger Falls on the Carbon River on September 22nd
and sustained multiple injuries. A team of rangers and
maintenance workers from Carbon River, led by seasonal ranger
Dave Halloran, an EMT, responded. A medical doctor and six
other hikers also responded. J.T. was diagnosed as having a
fractured pelvis, multiple fractures of the femur, an open
fracture of the radius/ulna, pneumothorax, hypothermia and a
possible ruptured spleen. He was stabilized, warmed, and
prepared for a technical evacuation. An Army reserve Chinook
helicopter and crew on training maneuvers in the park
transported a technical rescue team led by ranger Steve Winslow
from Paradise/Longmire to the scene of the accident. A Tacoma
Mountain Rescue Council team was flown in from Fort Lewis by
MAST helicopter. Based on recommendations by the doctor on
scene and an evaluation by the MAST pilot, a medic was lowered
by hoist to the site and J.T. was raised by hoist about 200
feet and flown to a local hospital, where he's reported to be in
good condition. [Lance Gillespie, MORA, via SEAdog message from
Mark Forbes, RAD/PNRO, 9/30]
91-529 - Gulf Islands (Mississippi/Florida) - Drowning
On the morning of September 29th, rangers discovered a number of
personal effects - prescription glasses, a watch, keys and
similar items - located on Johnson Beach adjacent to a van that
had been parked there since the previous afternoon and began an
investigation into the whereabouts of the van's owner, J.S.,
50, of Pensacola, Florida. Since there had been strong
westerly rip currents over the weekend, law enforcement agencies
to the west of the park were contacted by rangers. Officers at
Orange Beach police department in Alabama, about six miles west,
advised that a couple walking along a beach in their town had
found the body of a man there early that morning. The victim
was positively identified as J.S. later that day. Autopsy
results indicate that he drowned, and that the drowning was the
indirect result of J.S.'s bad heart. J.S.'s roommate said
that he'd last seen him on Saturday morning when he left their
trailer to go to the store. [CompuServe message from Gene
Phillips, CR, GUIS, 9/30]
91-530 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Rescue
On September 28th, A.L., 32, of Ronceverte, West Virginia,
fell about 30 feet while climbing in the Endless Wall area of
the park. A.L. was leading a 5.8 climb when his protection
pulled out while he was traversing on an upward angle; he lost
his balance, fell on his belay, dislodged a second piece of
protection, then fell the remaining distance, landing on his
back. Rangers performed a technical litter raising up a 90-foot
cliff to evacuate A.L., then carried him another mile to a
waiting ambulance. A.L. is presently in stable condition in a
local hospital with a compression fracture and torn cartilage to
the lumbar vertebrae. [Telefax to Rick Brown, NERI, 9/30]
91-531 - Point Reyes (California) - Arrest for Marijuana
Cultivation
Following two weeks of intensive surveillance, rangers arrested
B.V. of Point Reyes, California, on September 29th for
cultivating marijuana in the park. B.V. was working in his
plantation in the park at the time of the arrest; he attempted
to flee when rangers approached and had to be physically
restrained. The plot had a portable butane-fed drying apparatus,
drip irrigation and camouflage. A total of 62 plants with a
street value of $186,000 were seized. [LeeRoy Brock, CR, PORE,
via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 9/29]
91-532 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Special Event
Vice President Dan Quayle took a raft trip on the upper Gauley
River along with his family and friends on September 28th. The
park took charge of SAR and EMS responsibilities for the visit
on the Class 5+ section of the river and also assisted with
security. A unified incident command was set up with the Secret
Service and NPS in command of the multiagency event. A local
whitewater outfitter took the party down the river; the park
supplied two rafts and a kayak as rescue boats and had several
rangers stationed along the river for rescue purposes. The trip
went very well no rescues were required, and there were no
injuries. [Telefax to Rick Brown, NERI, 9/30]
91-533 - Fredericksburg (Virginia) - Marijuana Cultivation Arrest
Rangers Steve Davis and Lyne Shackleford were conducting a
takeout of a patch of six marijuana plants on September 29th
when two individuals arrived at the plot and examined the plants.
When they started to leave, Davis confronted them. One of the
pair fled and a chase ensued, during which Shackleford fell down
a steep slope and broke a leg. An Orange County sheriff's
office dog unit tracked the man to a paved highway before losing
his scent. The remaining individual, G.M., 28, was
arrested and imprisoned. He has a preliminary hearing on
September 30th. The investigation continues. [Mike Greenfield,
FRSP, via CompuServe message from Bob Reid, RAD/MARO, 9/30]
FIRE ACTIVITY
*** The NICC fire reports have apparently been suspended again ***
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) The following table provides a region by region summary of
the status of 20year retirement cases as of September 16th. It
was provided to us by the Personnel Office in WASO. As of that
date, a total of 265 cases had been reviewed by the oversight
committee, and another 161 were to be examined at the committee
meeting in October. The Department had forwarded 55 cases to
OPM for review.
Total Pending Return to
CSRS Reviewed Completion of Forward Region or
Forward To
Region Claims By Panel Recommendation To WASO Resubmission Department
AR 20 20* 18 2 0 2
MAR 62 61 0 61 7 14
MWR 23 23 0 23 17 0
NAR 31 31 11 20 3 0
NCR 21 16 3 13 13 0
PNR 45 45 12 33 9/2 15
RMR 111 109 14 95 0 16
SET 119 119 41 78 7 34
SWR 39 36 28 8 0 1
WASO 12 12 1 11 0 10
WR 165 131 49 82 24 11
Totals 648 603 177 426 80 103
* Reviewed by adjudicator, not through panel system.
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: Brady at California state ranger conference,
Sacramento, CA (10/2-10/3).
Branch of Resource & Visitor Protection: Kreis at reservation
system postaward conference, Reston, VA (10/2-10/3).
Branch of Fire & Aviation: Broyles at NPS regional safety
officer meeting, Omaha, NE (9/29-10/3); Norum chairing
interagency task group on prescribed fire complexity, Denver, CO
(10/1-10/5).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: All Offices FTS 2684874/6039 or 2022084874/6039
Telefax: Branch of R&VP FTS 2686756 or 2022086756
Branch of Fire FTS 2685977 or 2022085977
CompuServe: Branch of R&VP WASORANGER
Branch of Fire WASOFIREWO
SEAdog: All Offices 1/650