- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Friday, August 30, 1996
- Date: Fri, 30 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 30, 1996
Broadcast: By 1000 ET
INCIDENTS
96-505 - Valley Forge (Pennsylvania) - Stolen Vehicle; Arrest
While on patrol just before 3 a.m. on August 18th, ranger Ed Clark saw a car
heading up a one-way road in the wrong direction. When he activated his
lights and pulled in behind it, the occupants began to bail out on both
sides, with one reaching to the driver's side in an apparent effort to place
the car in reverse. Clark backed up and intercepted the now abandoned car,
stopping it before it could go out onto the highway. Backup was summoned and
an unproductive, two-hour-long search was conducted for the occupants.
Investigation revealed that the car had been stolen in Philadelphia late the
previous evening. At dawn, Clark returned to the site where the occupants of
the vehicle had fled and searched nearby woods. After a few minutes, he came
upon a boy walking along the tree line, calling softly into the woods for his
friends. He was wet, muddy, and had scratches on his legs and arms. Clark
ordered him to stop, but he refused to do so until Clark took out his
extendable baton. Although Clark never opened it, the suspect later said
that he thought it was a laser or taser gun, which was enough to convince him
that stopping was his best course of action. It was subsequently learned
that the boy had escaped from a juvenile institution and that he lived two
blocks from the residence where the car had been stolen. [CRO, VAFO]
96-506 - Fire Island (New York) - Special Event; Drug Arrests
The Gay Men's Health Crisis held its 14th annual fund raiser east of the
community of Fire Island Pines on August 18th. Several arrests were made
last year, so a more organized undercover operation was put into effect this
year. Rangers Ambrose and Parsons from Gateway worked in plain clothes,
pointing out people snorting cocaine and smoking marijuana to Fire Island
rangers Malone and Stonehill. A suspected dealer was observed, but
disappeared among the more than 5,000 attendees. He dropped his stash,
however, which contained crystal methedrine and heroin. Numerous vials of
cocaine and a substance known as ketomine (called "Special K" by users) were
also seized, along with a quantity of marijuana and numerous hits of a drug
called "Ecstacy." A total of ten arrests were made. [Jay Lippert, DR, FIIS]
96-507 - Natural Bridges (Utah) - Assist; Structural Fire
On the evening of August 13th, interpretive ranger Shawn Duffy went down to
the BLM ranger station at Kane Gulch, about ten miles south of the park.
When he arrived, he found no one at the station, then noticed smoke emanating
from the mobile home. Duffy did not have access to water, so called park
rangers Jim Dougan and Travis Poulson. They were first on scene and employed
carbon dioxide, dry chemicals and water to contain and extinguish the blaze.
Damage was kept to a minimum and the structure was saved. [Travis Poulson,
ACR, NABR]
96-508 - Gates of the Arctic (Alaska) - Assist; Fatal Plane Crash
On August 24th, the park was notified that a small plane had crashed on the
Nigu River just outside the park's boundary. Neither the North Slope borough
SAR team or Alaska state troopers were able to respond due to weather
conditions and other commitments. Ranger/EMTs traveled to the site in a BLM
contract helicopter and found that the plane had burned. Although two people
were reportedly on board, the rangers could only confirm one fatality from
available evidence. The borough recovered the body and conducted the
investigation. The incident occurred in one of the remotest locations in the
state, over 120 miles from the nearest community. [CRO, GAAR]
96-509 - Virgin Islands (Virgin Islands) - Assist; Drug Recovery
An object was dropped from an aircraft as it flew over waters between Jost
Van Dyke and Tortola islands in the British Virgin Islands, about a mile and
a half from the park's boundary, on the morning of August 11th. The United
States Coast Guard and British Customs asked rangers to assist in recovering
the contraband and did so. About 32 bails of marijuana were retrieved.
[Elmo Rabsatt, Acting CR, VIIS]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level V
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
% Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 8/29 8/30 Con Con
OR Umatilla NF @ Bull Cx T2 6,673 6,673 60 9/1
Tower T2 43,120 44,860 45 9/9
Summit T1 41,870 41,870 0 NEC
Malheur NF Wildcat T1 11,007 11,007 90 8/31
Wallowa-Whitman NF Salt Cx T1 68,525 68,725 75 8/31
Willamette NF South Zone Cx T2 3,403 3,399 90 9/2
Moolack Cx T2 11,475 11,475 45 9/5
Umpqua NF Spring T1 10,000 10,000 20 NEC
North Umpqua T2 1,038 1,032 85 NEC
Deschutes NF Park Meadows T1 650 700 100 CND
Burns District Real McCoy -- 350 350 100 CND
Okanogan NF Elbow Basin -- 3,000 3,000 0 NEC
WA Colville Agency Timberline Cx T2 15,000 15,000 90 8/29
ID Boise District Eighth Street T1 14,037 14,037 70 9/1
Sweet -- 550 507 100 CND
* Soldier Cap -- - 1,000 100 CND
Sawtooth NF Elba T2 8,865 10,890 40 9/1
Payette NF Fall/Goose Cx T2 225 310 60 9/2
Salmon-Challis NF Iron Bog -- 310 325 100 CND
* Bridge -- - 100 0 9/6
Idaho Falls District Maybe -- 3,000 3,320 100 CND
Cox's Well -- 38,500 80,000 20 NEC
Nez Perce NF Sunday Poet T2 190 200 85 8/31
UT Salt Lake District Wheat Grass -- 800 540 100 CND
State Mormon Trail -- 300 1,000 30 8/31
CA Yosemite NP Ackerson Cx T1 45,200 46,200 75 8/31
Los Angeles County Marple T1 18,000 21,302 20 NEC
Modoc NF Ambrose Cx T1 19,500 20,412 78 9/3
Riverside RU * Double -- - 600 70 8/30
NV Elko District Petan -- 17,480 17,480 100 CND
Buckhorn 2 -- 2,500 2,400 100 CND
Oregon -- 15,000 15,000 5 9/1
Winnemucca District Winnemucca Cx T2 47,000 57,680 100 CND
King's River Cx -- 8,040 8,050 80 8/31
Quinn/Odell -- 2,000 12,000 0 NEC
Coyote -- 2,000 2,000 100 CND
Battle Mt. District Upper Humb. Cx T2 70,000 95,640 80 8/30
Humboldt NF Ruby Cx T1 5,308 5,336 80 NEC
Deer Creek -- 300 550 65 9/1
State Bob's Flat -- 16,000 26,000 80 8/30
Upper Boulder -- 6,500 6,500 100 CND
MT Nez Perce NF Swet/Warrior T2 38,080 38,080 0 9/15
State Telephone Butte T2 140 140 100 CND
Lewiston District * Hay Coulee -- - 350 0 NEC
WY Big Horn NF Stockwell T2 1,000 1,000 40 NEC
Worland District Bates Creek T2 35,000 45,000 95 8/30
N. Brokenback -- 3,788 4,630 90 8/30
AK Statewide 12 fires -- 345,013 345,013 -- 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
NPS FIRE NARRATIVES
Ackerson Complex, Yosemite - With the complex reaching 75 percent
containment, crews, overhead, and equipment have been demobilized and
reassigned to fires burning elsewhere in the West. Burnout, holding and
structural protection operations conducted Wednesday night around the Hetch
Hetchy ranger station were successful. Lines held and mop-up went well on
the west side of the fire. Crews moved yesterday into the area between Lake
Eleanor and the north side of the reservoir to begin building fire lines and
preparing for burnout procedures. An evacuation advisory remains in effect
for the communities of Jawbone, Plum Flat, Cherry Valley, Granite, Lake
Eleanor, Woods Meadow and Crane Meadow. Resources committed to the fire as
of yesterday: 2,421 personnel from about 50 federal, state, county and
municipal agencies, 130 engines, seven bulldozers, 17 helicopters, two air
tankers, and 30 water tenders. White Wolf campground and concession
facilities are closed in order to provide a camping area for firefighters.
All other campgrounds, facilities and main roads are open. Cherry Lake and
Evergreen Roads are closed from Highway 120 west to the entrance of Hetch
Hetchy. Also closed are Aspen Valley Road off Evergreen Road, Mather Road to
Hetch Hetchy at the Cherry Lake Road junction, and the Miguel Meadows and all
Hetch Hetchy trailheads. Lumsden Road and campground and Cottonwood Road
into River Ranch are now open. All other previously announces Stanislaus NF
closures remain in effect.
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Monday, 8/26 7 5 66 0 28 201 307
Tuesday, 8/27 6 8 65 1 139 153 372
Wednesday, 8/28 2 6 59 0 102 226 395
Thursday, 8/29 2 10 16 0 50 98 176
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Monday, 8/26 608 725 156 30 3,692
Tuesday, 8/27 630 912 173 36 3,114
Wednesday, 8/28 758 986 169 33 3,105
Thursday, 8/29 771 1,058 183 37 3,335
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack activity decreased significantly yesterday, and progress was
made on several large fires. A Marine Corps battalion was requested
yesterday and will begin training today. They will be mobilized to the Tower
fire on Sunday. The Army battalion assigned to the Park Meadows fire will be
reassigned to the Summit fire tomorrow. Resource mobilization through NICC
remained steady.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NICC has posted FIRE WEATHER WATCHES for increasing winds and low humidities
in eastern Washington, southern Oregon, and central and southern Idaho
through tonight.
Fire activity is expected to increase as the upcoming holiday weekend
approaches.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 8/30; Mary Coelho, YOSE]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No submissions.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Seasonal/Less-Than-Full-Time Firefighters - On June 26th, the Office of
Personnel Management issued an exception to the 1,039 hour work limit for
temporary employees involved with wildland firefighting during the 1996 fire
season. The exception enables seasonals to work more than 1,039 hours in a
service year and still be excluded from the time limits established in 5 CFR
316.401(c). If seasonals are directly involved in wildland firefighting, or
are supporting wildland firefighting, this exception applies. Those seasonal
or permanent, less-than-full-time employees involved with current wildland
firefighting operations who would normally be terminated or furloughed due to
lack of funds or the end of the season may have their "base eight" time
charged to the fire suppression account while they continue their
involvement, as per NPS-18, section IV, chapter 1, page 3, number 6.
Backfilling for these employees does not apply. [Doug Erskine, NPS, NIFC]
Solicitor's Note to Water Area Parks - The following information is from Dave
Watts, the Department of Interior's solicitor, and is applicable to all parks
with water areas: There appears to be some strong reaction to the recently
published (Federal Register, July 5th) National Park Service final rule
concerning jurisdiction of general regulations. The major issue is with the
clarification in the final rule on the applicability of the regulations on
waters within the boundaries of national park system areas. The
clarification does not expand the previous reach of NPS regulations, but,
rather, is intended to make it clear that federal jurisdiction is based upon
the navigability of the water within the congressionally designated
boundaries. The revision of the regulation clarifies and emphasizes that NPS
regulations continue to apply on navigable waters within the boundaries of
park areas, regardless of the ownership of the submerged lands. It has been
reported in some newspapers that the result of the NPS final rule is an
expansion of NPS jurisdiction, i.e.,"federal power" over state and private
property interests. As a result of this interpretation, the NPS and the
Solicitor's Office have to be careful in how they proceed with litigating any
violations of NPS regulations on navigable waters. The first cases based on
this regulation may find strong opposition not only from the defendant, but
also from intervenors interested in challenging the NPS jurisdiction on
navigable waters where the United States does not hold title to the submerged
lands. So please proceed with caution in this area. Cases litigated under
this regulation should have a good administrative record and a solid factual
basis for the need for NPS action, i.e., to protect park resources or some
other park purpose specifically designated by Congress. [Dennis Burnett,
RAD/WASO]
MEMORANDA
No submissions.
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.
--- ### ---