RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
MORNING REPORT
Attention: Directorate
Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
Ranger Activities Division Information Network
Day/Date: Thursday, October 31, 1991
INCIDENTS
91-595 - Yosemite (California) - Rescue
On October 25th, the first winter storm of the season moved into the
central Sierras and dropped 4.5 inches of rain at lower elevations and
equivalent amounts of snow above 4,000 feet. On the following evening,
rangers received reports of cries for help from El Capitan, and found two
climbers, S.P. and D.M., stranded in a hanging bivouac about
2,000 feet up the Sea of Dreams route and under a waterfall created by
storm runoff. The climbers said that they were unhurt, but that they were
unable to move because of the storm and were becoming hypothermic. Because
of the poor weather conditions, ground and air rescue efforts were begun
simultaneously. A 17-member ground team made a nine-mile, five-hour-long
summit approach during the early morning hours of the 27th and reached the
edge of El Capitan at 8:00 a.m. Meanwhile, an Army National Guard CH-47
moved a 12-member team to the top of El Capitan during a lull in the storm.
Rescue teams made a 700-foot lowering to the stranded climbers; after being
warmed, S.P. and D.M. were able to ascend a fixed line to the summit.
While the first team was climbing out, another two-man climbing team began
to yell for help. The two men, Russ Walling and Erik Erikson, were located
200 yards east of the first party and 400 feet below the summit. When
contacted, they told rescuers that one of them had frostbite and that they
were unable to complete the climb. The rescue team divided and made a 400-
foot lowering to the pair, who were also able to extricate themselves by
climbing a fixed line. Post-rescue interviews revealed that the climbers
had been buffeted by high winds that ripped rain shelters from portable
ledges and exposed them to the elements. S.P. and D.M. had bivouacked
in a location that became a down chute for runoff, and other climbers on
the wall reported that at one point during the storm the two men had
completely disappeared under a waterfall. All victims were airlifted to
the Valley medical center, where they were treated and released. [Mike
Mayer, YOSE, via CompuServe message from Herb Gercke, RAD/WRO, 10/30]
91-596 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Attempted Rescue
Ranger-paramedics Keith Lober and Brian Smith and ranger-EMT's Chris
Pergiel and Rob Furlong responded to a report of a 70-year-old male with
shortness of breath at Grandview at 4:30 a.m. on October 26th. Upon
arrival, they found the man unconscious with diminished respirations and
weak vital signs. Despite the initiation of advanced life support measures,
the patient went into full cardiac arrest. The rangers were able to bring
him back from full arrest four separate times through IV drugs and
defibrillation. The victim was transported to the Grand Canyon clinic,
then via helicopter to Flagstaff. Lober accompanied the victim during the
flight. When they arrived in Flagstaff, the man had a strong pulse and
blood pressure and was beginning to breathe on his own. He was placed in
an intensive care unit and continued to improve, but subsequently went into
full arrest and died. [Dispatch, GRCA, via CompuServe message from Herb
Gercke, RAD/WRO, 10/30]
91-597 - Canyonlands (Utah) - Rescue
On the morning of October 27th, park visitors reported hearing calls for
help from the base of the 400-foot-high Wingate formation at Grandview
Point in the Island in the Sky district. Responding rangers found S.S.,
33, of Austin, Texas, rimrocked on a two- by twenty-foot ledge.
S.S. had descended a primitive route from the mesa top, then had left
the path and entered an area of ledges and chimneys and become stuck on the
ledge. Four rangers moved to a point on the talus slope below Scharath.
Ranger Steve Swanke then led a short pitch to reach and rescue him. At the
time of the rescue, rain was falling and temperatures were in the 40's and
dropping. S.S., who was not prepared for the weather, was soaked
through and would not have survived the night. [Telefax from Tony
Schetzsle, CR, CANY, 10/30]
FIRE ACTIVITY
1) FIRE SITUATION - Preparedness Level I
2) FIRE SUMMARY
State Agency Area Fire 10/30 10/31 Status
WV NPS New River NR *Gauley 200+ 350 CN 10/31
State Statewide *Seventy fires - 70,000 NEC
TN USFS Cherokee NF Polly Hollow - T2 500 500 NEC
KY USFS D. Boone NF Red Bird Comp - T2 2,000 2,000 CN 11/2
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
CL - Controlled MN - Being monitored
CS - Confinement strategy NEC - No estimate of containment
CN (date) - Expected date CND - Contained
of containment
3) NARRATIVES -
New River Gorge (West Virginia) - The Gauley Fire, which was first detected
on the morning of October 29th, is one of a number of fires burning in the
state and has so far burned between 200 and 250 acres. Three and a half
crews, two engines and a helicopter have been committed to the fire. The
fire is one of 70 burning statewide
4) ANALYSIS - Fire activity is increasing in both the South and East.
5) PROGNOSIS - Fire activity is expected to continue in the South and East
until there is a significant change in the weather. No resource shortages
are expected.
[NIFCC Intelligence Section, 0530 MDT, 10/31]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
1) Connie Wirth, former director of the National Park Service, is in a
rehabilitation center following surgery for a hip replacement. He would
appreciate any cards or kind words you might send along. His address:
Conrad L. Wirth, Kimball Farm, 193 Walker Street, Lennox Center, MA 01240
(413-637-3111). [Terry Wood, E&AA]
STAFF STATUS
Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.
Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Martin on oil spill review, PNRO,
Seattle, WA (10/28-10/31).
Branch of Fire and Aviation: Hurd at meeting of instructors for fire
management for agency administrators, Marana, AZ (10/28-11/1); Bristol at
InciNet committee meeting, Sacramento, CA (10/28-11/1); Norum at meeting of
prescribed fire analyst unit leaders and faculty, Denver, CO (10/29-10/31);
Clark serving as NPS representative at NWS advisory group meeting, Denver,
CO (10/30-11/1).
Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities
Telephone: All Offices - FTS 268-4874/6039 or 202-208-4874/6039
Telefax: Branch of R&VP - FTS 268-6756 or 202-208-6756
Branch of Fire - FTS 268-5977 or 202-208-5977
CompuServe: Branch of R&VP - WASO-RANGER
Branch of Fire - WASO-FIRE-WO
SEAdog: All Offices - 1/650