- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Thursday, July 18, 1996
- Date: Thurs, 18 Jul 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Thursday, July 18, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-379 - Fire Island (New York) - Assist; TWA Airliner Explosion
Ten maintenance employees and rangers from the park assisted the Coast Guard
throughout last night on the search for victims and wreckage from the TWA 747
which exploded yesterday evening about eight to ten miles to the south of
Moriches Inlet, which is at the east end of the park. There are no
indications that any of the 229 people aboard the plane survived the
explosion. Search operations were begun immediately after the incident
occurred around 9 p.m. Park staff recovered bodies, personal belongings and
debris through the night, standing down at 7 a.m. this morning. The park is
standing by to offer further assistance as needed. The park has requested
assistance from one of the Service's national critical incident stress
debriefing (CISD) teams. Personnel involved in the incident will probably be
debriefed tomorrow afternoon. [Don Weir, CR, FIIS]
96-380 - Yellowstone (Wyoming) - Geothermal Burn
A.A., 5, of Murray, Utah, was seriously injured on the afternoon
of July 16th when she fell into a geothermal run-off channel in the West
Thumb geyser basin. The girl was walking along a boardwalk near Black Pool
with her family when she apparently stepped backward off the boardwalk and
fell into hot water and mud (there were no witnesses). A.A. was treated by
rangers and taken by ambulance to Lake Hospital, then flown to a hospital in
Salt Lake City. She received second degree burns to the back of her legs and
back and to her lower arm and hand, and is currently in stable condition.
She is the third individual to receive geothermal burns in the park this
summer. [Mike Murray, ACR, YELL]
96-381 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Storm; Multiple Rescues; Assault on Ranger
The South Rim received 1.86 inches of rain during a period of about three and
a half hours on the afternoon of July 15th - equivalent to the total amount
normally received for the entire month. This heavy rainfall was funneled
down Garden Creek, which the Bright Angel trail follows. At 2 p.m., the park
received a distress call from the wrangler of a concessioner mule string,
saying that the group was trapped by high waters on the trail. Rescue
personnel, trail crew employees and Fred Harvey wranglers went to their
assistance. Another distress call was received which reported that three
hikers who'd suffered injuries from falling rocks and debris were at a rest
house along the trail. Rangers responded and treated them; two of the hikers
were medevaced by the park's helicopter. An estimated 50 to 70 hikers were
stranded at Indian Gardens, and it took until 9:30 p.m. to rescue all of
them. Three had to be evacuated by helicopter. Other significant incidents
during this period included three visitors struck by lightning, river
concession personnel stranded in Diamond Creek by flash floods, and an
assault on ranger Mary Litell. Litell provided emergency assistance to the
hikers at Indian Garden and attempted to close the trail to uphill traffic.
When she told visitor W.S., 48, not to attempt to cross a
flooded wash, W.S. got into an altercation with Litell and attempted to
push her into the flood waters. She was arrested, charged with assaulting an
officer (18 USC 111), and flown out of the canyon. The charge was later
reduced to interference by the magistrate; W.S. pled guilty to that
charge and to disobeying a lawful order, and was fined $500. Evaluation of
flood impacts on the Bright Angel trail the following day revealed that there
are several areas with considerable damage. The trail remains closed from
the South Rim to Indian Garden, and will probably not reopen until August
7th, depending on weather. [Patrick Hattaway, SDR; Ken Phillips, IC]
96-382 - El Malpais (New Mexico) - Storm Impacts
Heavy rains which fell on the area over the past week caused flash floods in
many areas of the park. The Lava Falls developed area, which includes an
access road, parking lot and interpretive trail, was particularly hard hit.
Preliminary indications are that at least 150 feet of road has been washed
away or completely covered over with silt. The road lies on a broad, half-
mile wide sheet flow plane which is now saturated. This has made access for
evaluation difficult, since the remaining sections of the road may now be
unstable. The area was scheduled to be fully opened to the public this fall,
but it now appears that relocation and reengineering of the access road will
be necessary. [Ken Mabery, MA, ELMA]
96-383 - Fire Island (New York) - Rescue
On the afternoon of July 14th, two brothers, ages four and two, were making
sand cakes near the lifeguard stand at Sailor's Haven beach when the older
fed a piece of sand cake to the younger, completely blocking his airway. The
child's father realized what had happened and brought the boy to the
lifeguard stand, where head lifeguard Mike Caccuitto immediately began
efforts to clear his airway. Following a series of back blows and finger
sweeps, a wad of sand the size of a golf ball was dislodged from the boy's
throat and he began breathing normally again. Ranger/EMT Irene Rosen
examined the boy, and found he had no associated medical problems. The two
children were lead away by their father, who explained to them the finer
points of playing in the sand. [Jay Lippert, DR, FIIS]
96-384 - Lowell (Massachusetts) - Rescue
A 13-year-old girl went swimming in the Pawtucket Canal in the park on the
afternoon of July 16th. The cold water and swift current produced by rains
from the remains of Bertha swept her away from the boat landing. D.S.,
a local resident, saw that she was having difficulty, jumped in, and
tried to help her. The strong current prevented them from returning to the
landing, but he managed to grab a branch protruding from the canal wall and
hang on. The afternoon tour boat came by at that moment. Captain D.T.
and mate S.C. brought the pair aboard and dropped them off at
the boat landing, where ranger JB Golas assisted D.S. and took the girl
home to her mother. [Galen Marr, CR, LOWE]
96-385 - New River Gorge (West Virginia) - Rescue
J.W., 17, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, fell from an 80-foot-high cliff
in the Canyon Rim/Lansing area of the park at 3 a.m. on July 13th. J.W.
and three other companions were partying in the area when J.W. walked away
from the group to urinate. J.W., who had been drinking and may also have
been taking the drug Xanax, apparently misjudged the distance to the cliff
and walked over the edge. Judging from his injuries, he apparently bounced
at least one time off the protruding rocks on the jagged cliff face before
landing at the bottom of the cliff. Rangers were notified through 911
dispatch at 4 a.m. and arrived on the scene about 20 minutes later. They
provided EMS along with a local ambulance squad, while the park's SAR team,
with the assistance of a local volunteer fire and rescue company, conducted a
technical litter raise to the top of the cliff, then a talus belay up a steep
slope to the waiting ambulance. J.W. sustained massive head injuries,
internal injuries, and various injuries to his neck, legs and arms. He was
semi-conscious and combative during the rescue and evacuation. J.W. was
transported by helicopter to a major trauma center in Charleston for
treatment. [Rick Brown, DR, NERI]
96-386 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Search and Rescue
Local resident and shuttle bus driver D.G., 67, was reported
overdue from an evening walk on July 14th. D.G. was last seen departing
from her residence in Pinyon Canyon at 6 p.m.; she was dressed in light
clothing and had no supplies with her. Park personnel were contacted at 10
p.m. and began a search for her. Fifteen searchers, including rangers, Grand
Canyon Explorer scouts and Fred Harvey fire and safety personnel, looked for
her throughout the night. Park safety officer Don Singer also joined the
effort with his search dog, B.C. D.G. was found two and a half miles south
of Grand Canyon Village at 5:45 a.m. She was treated at the park clinic for
a deep avulsion sustained during her wandering. During the night, she dug a
trench and covered herself with a layer of pine needles to ward off cold
temperatures. [Ken Phillips, IC]
96-387 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Search and Rescue
On July 16th, the park received a report that L.C., 30, and N.C.,
5, were overdue from a short walk in the Shoshone picnic area on East
Rim Drive. The two were last seen by L.C.'s husband at 9 a.m. A
heavy rain storm which struck the park around 11 a.m. increased the urgency
of the search due to the potential for hypothermia. Twelve park search
personnel and safety officer Don Singer and his dog, B.C., were deployed.
They found the C.'s near the south entrance station at 4 p.m. [Ken
Phillips, IC]
96-388 - Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) - Significant Vandalism
The park has suffered from a more than 50% increase in vandalism over the
past six months. Sixteen incidents causing damage to monuments and
structures of almost $10,000 occurred between January and July, up from only
nine such incidents during the same period in 1995. Incidents have included
the following:
o An official state seal and other plaques have been broken from
monuments and stolen.
o A bronze bayonet and cartridge pouch were pried off the 121st
Pennsylvania Infantry monument on Reynolds Avenue.
o A bronze canteen was pried from the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry monument
on Doubleday Avenue.
o The windows of the Pennsylvania state monument were broken and the iron
gate and lock were damaged.
These incidents continue a pattern of malicious damage inflicted on monuments
over the past five years, during which the following occurred:
o The head of the sculpture on the 2nd Andrew Sharpshooters monument was
taken off by a swung tree limb.
o A saber handle was broken off and stolen from the 4th New York Cavalry
monument.
o The figure on the 4th New York Artillery monument was toppled from its
pedestal.
o A marble bench at the Pennsylvania monument was smashed.
o Satanic symbols were painted on three monuments at Barlow's Knoll.
In order to fight this problem, the park has begun a volunteer Park Watch
program. Twelve area residents have been trained an put on patrol, and have
logged 320 hours of service since April. A standing reward of $1000 has also
been offered by the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of person(s) for vandalism
to any park structure or resource on the battlefield or at Eisenhower farm.
[Katie Lawhon, PIO, GETT]
96-389 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Armed Robbery
Around 1 a.m. on July 17th, Richard Watkins and three juvenile males
approached a vehicle in the Chestnut Ridge parking overlook near Roanoke,
pointed a handgun at the occupants, Leslie Johnson and Edward Leblanc, and
demanded their money and jewelry. They then fled in their vehicle, with
Johnson and Leblanc following. They wrote down the license plate number and
notified Roanoke police. County officers subsequently stopped the vehicle
near the parkway and held the four men until Johnson and Leblanc arrived,
identified them and recovered their stolen property. Rangers Charles Johnson
and John Boone arrested the four for armed robbery and took them to a jail in
Roanoke. [CRO, BLRI]
96-390 - Blue Ridge (North Carolina/Virginia) - Suicide
Ranger Mark Gall was dispatched from his residence on the evening of July
16th to investigate a report of an apparent suicide at Afton overlook. Gall
met Shenandoah ranger Ken Mehne, a Virginia state trooper and an EMS unit at
the scene. The body of Curtis Crowder from nearby Waynesboror was found in
the driver's seat with a .357 magnum pistol in his hand and a single bullet
wound to his head. The investigation is continuing. [CRO, BLRI]
96-391 - Valley Forge (Pennsylvania) - Assault on Ranger
While rangers Justice and Macri were attempting to handcuff Jean Sanchez for
driving under the influence on July 12th, Sanchez kicked Macri and struck
Justice in the head with a phone. Macri employed OC-10 pepper spray to end
the attack, after which she was safely taken into custody. A second person,
Patricia Rohaly, arrived on scene and attempted to interfere with the arrest;
she, too, was taken into custody. Sanchez is being charged with two counts
of assault on a federal officer along with various other DUI related
offenses. Rohaly was cited for disorderly conduct and released. [Germeraad,
ACR, VAFO]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 7/17 7/18 Con Con
OR State * East Fork -- - 500 50 7/18
* Street Canyon -- - 1,250 80 7/18
NV Elko District * Cole Creek -- - 350 40 7/18
ID Boise District INEL Assist # -- 34,000 34,000 100 CND
CO Dinosaur NM Zenobia T2 4,350 4,350 100 CND
CA Angeles NF Gorge T1 1,800 1,800 100 CND
Inyo NF Sage Flat T2 1,538 1,743 100 CND
Bakersfield District * Midway -- - 350 100 CND
AK Statewide 27 LSS fires -- 342,062 342,066 -- --
Heading Notes
Unit -- Agency = BIA area; NF = national forest; RU = CA state resource
or ranger unit; RD = state ranger district; District = BLM
district; NWR = USFWS wildlife refuge
Fire -- * = newly reported fire (on this report); Cx = complex; LSS =
limited suppression strategy; CSS = containment suppression
strategy
IMT -- T1 = Type 1; T2 = Type II; ST = State Team
% Con -- Percent of fire contained
Est Con -- Estimated containment date; NEC = no estimated date of
containment; CND = fully contained; NR = no report; LPS = limited
protection status
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 2 8 14 0 58 27 109
Acres Burned 0 179 826 0 327 226 1,558
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 42 64 34 1 192
Non-federal 15 9 4 1 14
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack and large fire activity have diminished throughout the West.
Containment objectives were met on several large fires. No problems are
anticipated on newly reported fires.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted a RED FLAG WARNING for dry thunderstorms, very low humidities
and an abrupt wind shift behind a coming cold front in Montana.
Fire activity is expected to increase in the northern Rockies due to these
conditions.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/18]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Changes in Operation Opportunity (OPOP) - For the past two years, Operation
Opportunity has facilitated the placement of over 200 central office
employees into field positions through a centrally managed program in the
Washington Office. Over the past few months, the number of employees
responding to the biweekly vacancy listing has diminished considerably, even
though it is still necessary to move employees from central offices to field
positions. Some field areas have reached their downsizing targets and have
sufficient base funds to cover staff costs while other areas have not. For
those areas above their targets, there is still a need to continue field
placements; however, it is no longer necessary to manage the overall program
in Washington. As a result, OPOP will be modified to provide centralized job
information, but will not provide a centralized referral process. New
program operations, which will go into effect immediately, are described
below.
Under new OPOP operating procedures, WASO will publish a bi-weekly listing
of vacancies for reassignment purposes. This list will include only basic
job information and will not contain the individual vacancy announcements
previously used in OPOP. WASO human resources staff will no longer
facilitate placements; interested applicants and offices/parks with vacancies
will coordinate all application and selection procedures among themselves.
If there is any opportunity for the movement of buyout money due to the
placement of a central office employee who is currently in an unfunded
position, funding must be coordinated through local and field area budget
offices with assistance from Larry Poe (202-208-7919) in the WASO Budget
Office. Use of the new OPOP vacancy listing is encouraged as a vehicle
for the placement of central office employees into field positions.
The last OPOP list under the former centralized system was published on June
7th. The following procedures will be used now for compiling and publishing
the new listing:
o Vacancy information should be forwarded, preferably by cc:Mail, to WASO
Operation Opportunity by the Wednesday before the Friday publication of
the listing. If you do not have access to cc:mail, faxes will be
accepted at 202-273-2446.
o Vacancy information should include BOTH organizational and geographic
locations, the position title, grade and series, and the name and phone
number of a personnel contact or other designated official who is
coordinating the placement and can answer candidates' questions.
(Note: If the position has a career ladder, be sure to list the full
performance grade).
o The listing will be published on the Restructuring Bulletin Board
biweekly on Fridays. The first list will appear on July 26th. WASO
will not be able to provide individual distribution.
Please note that all regulations relating to the Career Transition Assistance
Plan (CTAP) remain in effect. Check with your Human Resource Office for
details prior to submitting vacancies for this listing.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
No submission.
Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators. Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.
Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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