- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, August 9, 1996
- Date: Fri, 9 Aug 1996
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Friday, August 9, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-370 - Glacier Bay (Alaska) - Follow-up on Assault
Additional details have been released regarding the arrest of P.D.,
34, for threatening a charter boat operator on the shore of the bay in mid-
July. Arresting rangers and Alaska state troopers discovered that P.D. had
excavated a large, square crater measuring 20 by 20 feet and six feet deep.
He had cut and peeled small trees by hand and was using them to construct
walls of a cabin within the hole. He told the members of the arresting party
that he intended to construct a roof which would be level with the ground and
cover it with moss and other ground vegetation. Items found at the scene
included a .308 M1 rifle with a sniper's barrel and scope, a .22 caliber
Thompson "Contender" with a scope, about 35,000 rounds of ammunition, 90
pounds of fishing gear, an inflatable raft, and other camping equipment - an
overall total of almost 2,000 pounds of gear. [Kris Fister, PIO, IMT, GLBA]
96-424 - Glen Canyon (Arizona/Utah) - Follow-up on Drowning
The search for 16-year-old J.H. concluded on July 31st with the
recovery of his body from a depth of 428 feet. J.H. drowned on July 28th
when a friend jumping off a cliff into the lake struck J.H., who was
swimming below. Dive recovery teams and the park's remote operated vehicle
(ROV) were used extensively to cover the search area down to a depth of 500
feet. The K.C. Johnson Foundation, a non-profit organization established to
help recover drowning victims, provided a second ROV to assist in the search
on the 31st, and it located the body. An armature attached to the ROV was
used to recover and raise the body to a depth of 80 feet. Dive team members
from the park met the ROV at that point and brought the body to the surface.
[David Sandbakken, LES, GLCA]
96-446 - Grand Canyon (Arizona) - Burglary/Larceny Investigation
South Rim rangers responded to a series of property crimes on July 28th and
29th. In the first incident, the Fred Harvey Company's personnel office was
burglarized, and several hundred dollars worth of property was stolen. Then,
at 2:15 a.m. on the 29th, the park received a report of windows being broken
at a concession-operated laundromat. The suspects fled on foot as rangers
arrived. A few minutes later, a vehicle was stolen from a nearby park
residential area. It was later recovered about a half mile away with its
stereo missing. Later that morning, rangers discovered two vehicles with
broken windows, one of which was an unmarked vehicle assigned to a park
criminal investigator. Rangers are also investigating two car clouts that
occurred at the El Tovar Hotel parking lot. Investigators are focusing on
the possibility that all of these crimes may have been committed by the same
person(s), possibly local juveniles. The cases are being jointly
investigated by the NPS and the Coconino County sheriff's office. [Dave
Brennan, SDR, South Rim, GRCA]
96-447 - Clara Barton Parkway (Maryland) - Road Closure
On July 23rd, a 22-inch water line located adjacent to the parkway near Chain
Bridge ruptured, creating a water spout over 150 feet high. the pressure was
so intense that it clear cut a section of trees on the palisade, opening a
new vista to the adjacent Crescent trail. The parkway was closed for four
hours while FHWA engineers inspected the roadway and park personnel cleared
debris. Additional closures for inspections will be required. [Bill Lynch,
LES, NCSO]
[Additional reports pending...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level III
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/7 8/8 Con Con
UT Salt Lake District N. Stansbury Cx T2 13,000 17,000 75 8/8
Pilot -- 1,200 1,200 95 8/8
Richfield District Leamington Cx T1 112,500 134,900 30 8/12
Cedar City District Honey Boy T2 7,650 7,800 50 8/11
Fishlake NF Adelaide Cx T2 14,965 14,365 10 NEC
State Camp Floyd -- 5,010 5,010 NR NR
Tank T2 1,200 2,800 70 8/10
NV Elko District Division T2 29,820 30,450 100 CND
State Belli Ranch T2 6,000 6,700 80 8/8
WY Big Horn NF West Pass T2 600 600 70 8/7
Medicine Bow NF Murphy/Bear Cx T1 4,000 4,910 15 8/12
CO Craig District O'Pinion Cx T2 15,000 15,900 70 8/8
Gillsonite -- 303 300 100 CND
Dinosaur NM Persistant T2 800 945 40 8/8
MT State Rosebud Creek -- 24,000 24,000 50 8/8
AZ Grand Canyon NP Lancelot II T2 200 200 40 8/9
OR Prineville District * Magic Lantern -- - 420 95 8/7
AK Statewide 24 fires -- 458,305 458,305 -- NSS
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
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Sunday, 8/4 0 13 17 1 33 41 105
Monday, 8/5 4 1 20 0 78 45 148
Tuesday, 8/6 1 3 5 0 100 32 141
Wednesday, 8/7 0 4 4 0 41 27 76
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Sunday, 8/4 203 380 82 8 542
Monday, 8/5 157 349 72 11 873
Tuesday, 8/6 204 365 83 18 845
Wednesday, 8/7 215 410 83 5 1,416
CURRENT SITUATION
Fire activity was moderate on Wednesday, with little initial attack.
Resource mobilization through NICC has decreased.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
There was no activity forecast in Thursday's NICC situation report.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/8]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Reports pending.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Ranger Careers - WASO Ranger Activities is currently embarked on a review of
the park ranger occupation to determine the medical/physical attributes a
ranger must possess in order to perform "rigorous" ranger duties
successfully. OPM, the Public Health Service, the Department and the NPS are
all involved. The study team has visited FLETC to observe rangers in
training and is scheduled to visit three "high incident" parks - Yosemite,
Grand Canyon and Lake Mead - before the end of this summer's visitation
season in order to see rangers at work. Ranger Ed Clark from Valley Forge is
coordinating this effort for Ranger Activities. [Bill Sanders, RAD/WASO]
MEMORANDA
"Fee-Free Day," signed on August 7th by Chris Andress, acting associate
director for park operations and education, and sent by cc:Mail to all field
area directors and park superintendents. Text follows:
"We just want to remind all park areas that normally charge a park admission
fee that August 25, 1996, has been designated as the national fee-free day.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCFA) mandates that the National
Park Service (NPS) designate at least one fee-free day annually when no
admission fee will be charged. This is an opportunity to extend an
invitation to all park visitors to enjoy their national park areas and a
chance for each of us to share Founder's Day with our visiting public.
"If you have any questions concerning the above information, please feel free
to contact Tim Stone, National Fee Program Manager at 202-208-4205."
EXCHANGE
No submissions.
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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