- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Wednesday, July 24, 1996
- Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Wednesday, July 24, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-379 - Fire Island (New York) - Follow-up on Assist
The park's staff continues to support the Coast Guard's efforts in the
aftermath of the TWA Flight 800 incident. One park vessel is being utilized
by the Coast Guard to shuttle crash site materials from Coast Guard cutters
to the facility where they are being sorted and examined. This is being done
because the larger vessels are too big to enter local harbors and waterways.
This support will be provided as long as it is needed. Park rangers have
assisted local law enforcement agencies with security at a number of areas
and at the memorial service conducted Monday evening near the ocean. They
have also maintained perimeter security on the water to keep unauthorized
vessels from entering near the docks where materials from the crash are being
unloaded. Patrols are monitoring beach areas in case additional materials
are washed ashore. Two members of the Service's national critical incident
stress management team, both from Delaware Water Gap, have debriefed and
assisted staff. All activities are being coordinated through the Coast Guard
command post. [John Lynch, Staff Park Ranger, NESSO]
96-404 - Zion (Utah) - Rock Fall with Injuries
A small rock slide occurred at Weeping Rock on the afternoon of July 20th.
Several rocks up to two feet in diameter fell from an overhang and struck
three visitors. Rangers Kassovic, Stubblefield, and Barnes responded with
parkmedics Dave and Pat Buccello and treated a variety of injuries, ranging
from a minor injury to a compound leg fracture with a transected Achilles
tendon. The latter was suffered by a native of Switzerland who was taken to
a hospital in St. George for surgery. The Weeping Rock trail was closed
immediately and remained closed until the following morning so that an
assessment could be made of additional hazards. [Steve Robinson, PIO, ZION]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 7/23 7/24 Con Con
CO Craig District Twin Buttes T2 850 1,500 30 7/25
Moosehead -- 150 200 100 CND
Grand Jct. District * Hatchet -- - 500 0 7/26
San Juan NF Disappointment T2 2,500 3,100 25 7/31
CA Kern County * White Oak -- - 4,800 40 7/24
San Diego RU * Otay #268 -- - 670 100 CND
UT Zion NP Wildcat T2 4,500 4,642 20 NEC
ID Boise District * Crane -- - 110 100 CND
NV Las Vegas District * Gass Peak -- - 600 0 NEC
MT State * Spring Creek -- - 3,200 100 CND
Fort Peck Agency * Maldanado -- - 252 100 CND
AK Statewide 31 LSS fires -- 422,050 468,207 -- --
GA NPS - Atlanta Area Olympics 96 T2 - - - -
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
FIRE/INCIDENT NARRATIVES
Wildcat Fire, Zion NP - The Wildcat fire was managed as a prescribed natural
fire until Sunday, July 21st, when it crossed the maximum allowable perimeter
defined in the prescription and was declared a wildfire. Suppression efforts
were begun that day and continue. Fire managers have focused primarily on
keeping the north end of the fire within the park, and have so far been
successful in doing so. The fire continues to burn toward the east -
southeast, and that portion of the fire is well within the maximum allowable
perimeter established earlier for the prescribed natural fire. The fire is
burning on Horse Pasture Plateau, about eight miles north of park
headquarters. The West Rim trail from Lava Point south remains closed, and
the Lava Point road has been closed into the Lava Point campground. No
structures are threatened. A total of 225 firefighters, two helicopter and
two air tankers are deployed on the fire.
Olympics 96 Incident, Atlanta Area Parks - As has been noted in the media,
visitation to Atlanta's attractions and businesses has not been as high as
predicted, at least so far. None of the three Atlanta area parks has yet
experienced the predicted high level of visitation, but VIP, international,
media and Olympic athlete visits continue:
o Princess Jefridah of Benai and her entourage of 20 people visited
Martin Luther King on Monday, and the son of the president of South
Korea visited yesterday. A private reception was held outside the
visitor center yesterday in honor of Edwin Moses, former gold medalist
in the 400 meter hurdles. Many vendors have set up operations
immediately outside the park; the superintendent has received but
denied requests by vendors to set up within the park.
o Kennesaw Mountain - Despite the generally low visitation noted above,
the park had a large increase in visitors at its visitor center over
the weekend, at least partly because of 13 living history programs that
were offered.
FIRES AND ACRES BURNED
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Number 6 9 16 0 94 50 175
Acres Burned 4 1,261 4,352 6,059 10,162 142 21,980
COMMITTED RESOURCES
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Federal 53 86 31 5 240
Non-federal 16 29 6 1 95
COMPARATIVE SUMMARY
CY 1996 Five Year Average
Year-to-Date Year-to-Date
Number of Fires 74,471 47,255
Acres Burned 3,045,979 1,043,937
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity increased in most areas in the West yesterday, but only a few
reported new large fires. Resource mobilization through NICC remained
steady.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted FIRE WEATHER WATCHES for dry lightning and low relative
humidity readings in southwest and south-central Oregon, northeast California
and western Nevada.
Because of the above conditions, fire activity is expected to increase.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 7/24; Nancy Gray, IO, Olympics 96
Incident, 7/22-23; Steve Robinson, IO, Wildcat Fire, ZION, 7/23
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Submission pending.
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
EXCHANGE
Handicapped Hunters - Big Thicket is receiving increasing numbers of requests
from handicapped hunters for special vehicle access to the park and is
interested in finding out how other parks with hunting programs deal with
this issue. The park issued 2300 special permits to hunters during the
state's fall hunting season. Handicapped hunters in Texas are permitted to
use ATVs to reach hunting areas on certain state-managed hunting lands. 36
CFR does not permit this type of use. Contact Bob Appling at NP-BITH.
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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