- Subject: NPS Morning Report - Monday, June 1, 1998
- Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
To: All National Park Service Areas and Offices
From: Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office
Day/Date: Monday, June 1, 1998
INCIDENTS
98-226 - Yosemite NP (CA) - Follow-up on Search in Progress
The search for D.M., 28, which has been underway since May 25th,
was scaled back over the weekend due to lack of clues. As of Friday, plans
were to shift from the large-scale search to a smaller, more technical and
focused effort. The park planned on employing investigators, two dog teams,
and a dozen searchers with technical climbing and rappelling experience to
look for D.M. on Saturday and to augment them with periodic aerial
surveys, ranger foot patrols, and an on-going visitor awareness program. At
its peak, the search involved 250 people, 15 dog teams, and four helicopters.
The park extends its thanks for the concerted efforts made by more than a
dozen other federal, state and local agencies and numerous volunteers.
D.M.'s family and friends would also like to thank all involved for their
time, energy, and selfless attempts to find him. [Christine Cowles, IO,
YOSE, 5/29]
98-234 - Washington Monument (DC) - Disturbed Person
On Thursday, May 28th, a man - subsequently identified as one N.G. -
drove his vehicle recklessly and at a high rate of speed to the base of the
Washington Monument, endangering pedestrians in the process. He got out of
his vehicle, dropped to his knees, waved his arms, then started to undress.
Ranger Ambrose stopped him from disrobing. N.G. said that his wife was
trying to kill him. He was taken into custody by Park Police officers and
transported to a hospital. The vehicle was checked and cleared by dogs and
an EOD unit. [Henry Berberich, RLES, NCRO, 6/1]
98-235 - Badlands NP (SD) - Search and Rescue
J.O., 25, of Austin, Texas, became separated from his companion while
hiking in the Sheep Mountain area of the park on May 29th. When J.O. failed
to return to their vehicle as planned, his companion contacted the Pennington
County sheriff's office, which in turn notified chief ranger Scott Lopez.
Rangers and deputies searched for him until 2 a.m., when a lightning storm
brought the search to a halt. Operations resumed the next morning and
involved NPS rangers, the Pine Ridge and county SAR teams, and Oglala Sioux
tribal rangers. Army National Guard helicopters conducted an aerial search.
J.O. reappeared at the site where his vehicle was parked while the search was
underway. Investigation revealed that he'd chosen to hike up a different
side canyon than his companion and had become disoriented. He then hiked
twelve miles to the Cheyenne River, where he encountered some people who
suggested that he follow the river to a nearby ranch. The rancher gave J.O. a
ride back to his vehicle. [Marianne Mills, BADL, 5/31]
98-236 - Cabrillo NM (CA) - Attempted Suicide
On May 22nd, rangers received a report that a woman had intentionally jumped
from the cliffs in the tidepool area of the park and fallen about 45 feet,
landing in a crevice. High-angle rescue techniques had to be employed to
reach her, as the crevice was not easily accessible. A two-hour-long, multi-
agency effort was required to extricate and lower her another 15 feet to a
ledge where a Coast Guard helicopter was able to retrieve her. She was flown
to a regional trauma center. Miraculously, she suffered only abrasions. The
incident was managed under a unified command and involved six federal and
city agencies. [Mark Long, CABR, 5/23]
98-237 - Death Valley NP (CA/NV) - MVA with Fatality
A Dodge Caravan with six occupants went off Big Pine Road and rolled over
around noon on May 24th. D.G., 25, an Indian national working in
Woodlands Hills, California, was ejected from the right front passenger seat
and was killed. D.G. was the only one of the six occupants who was not
wearing a seatbelt; the other five suffered only minor injuries. Speed is
believed to have been an important contributory cause. Ranger Ed Derobertis
and California Highway Patrol officers investigated the accident. [Scot
McElveen, ACR, DEVA, 5/28]
98-238 - Death Valley NP (CA/NV) - MVA with Fatality
C.G., 49, of Alameda, California, was riding his Honda
motorcycle on Highway 190 west of Towne Pass just before 2 p.m. on May 24th
when he failed to negotiate a curve and ran off the road. C.G. was thrown
off his motorcycle and killed. Rangers Beth Meyers and David Brenner
investigated along with California Highway Patrol officers. [Scot McElveen,
ACR, DEVA, 5/28]
98-239 - Shenandoah NP (VA) - Rescue
On the afternoon of May 24th, ranger Matt Richardson was notified by members
of a Boy Scout troop that one of their leaders, T.G., 39, was
sick and unable to continue on the Jones Run Falls trail. Richardson found
T.G. suffering from shortness of breath, nausea and elevated blood
pressure. Park medic John Waterman soon arrived on scene and was joined
shortly thereafter by a rescue team comprised of South District personnel and
Boy Scout troop members and leaders. They evacuated T.G. to the
trailhead while Waterman provided oxygen. T.G. was taken to a
hospital, where he was treated and subsequently released. [Rick Childs, DR,
SHEN, 5/25]
98-240 - Pinnacles NM (CA) - Burglary
Sometime during the morning hours of May 4th, thieves broke into the East
District ranger's office. They attempted to enter the federal fee safes
without success, but managed to pry open the hinge side of a weapons security
locker and made off with several weapons. They also pried open the top off
the honor system fee pipe safe outside the visitor center, but apparently
found little or no money within. The thieves then broke into the
superintendent's office, but it appears that they took nothing. The San
Benito sheriff's office is leading the investigation and being assisted by
rangers and USPP investigators. [Mark Igo, CR, PINN, 5/26]
98-241 - Blue Ridge Parkway (VA/NC) - Suicide
A park visitor found a body near Cahas Knob overlook south of Roanoke,
Virginia, early on the morning of May 27th. D.D., 37, a Roanoke
resident and former deputy with the county sheriff's department, died from a
single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. His body was found on the
ground beside his pickup truck with his .40 caliber handgun nearby. A
suicide note had been found at his residence the previous evening, and area
agencies had been searching for him. D.D. had been released from
employment with the sheriff's department because of a serious medical
disability. [CRO, BLRI, 5/27]
98-242 - Lake Roosevelt NRA (WA) - Apparent Suicide
On May 16th, visitors reported seeing a body floating in the lake near China
Bend. Rangers recovered the remains of R.W., 37, and turned the
body over to the county sheriff's office. Witnesses had reported seeing
R.W. jump from a bridge in Canada a month earlier. He was identified by
tags that he wore indicating he had been a mental patient. The body was
returned to Canadian officials on May 18th. [Marty Huseman, ACR, LARO, 5/27]
[Still more pending reports on Tuesday...]
FIRE ACTIVITY
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL - Level II
LARGE FIRE/INCIDENT SUMMARY
Thu Sun % Est
State Unit Fire/Incident IMT 5/28 5/30 Con Con
FL Apalachicola NF Holiday T2 2,000 2,347 50 NEC
AK Fort Greely Carla Lake -- 13,800 31,620 0 NEC
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
IMT T1 = Type I; 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
NUMBER OF NEW FIRES (FOUR DAY TREND)
NPS BIA BLM FWS States USFS Total
Thursday, 5/28 0 8 6 1 71 12 98
Friday, 5/29 0 2 1 0 31 22 57
Saturday, 5/30 0 0 1 0 4 0 5
Sunday, 5/31 0 1 3 0 9 9 22
TOTAL COMMITTED RESOURCES (FOUR DAY TREND)
Crews Engines Helicopters Airtankers Overhead
Thursday, 5/28 11 14 14 0 77
Friday, 5/29 11 15 8 0 45
Saturday, 5/30 24 0 7 0 0
Sunday, 5/31 43 24 16 57* 175*
* These totals are taken from numbers that appear on today's situation
report.
CURRENT SITUATION
There was little fire activity in the U.S. yesterday, but large fires
continue to burn in Canada.
Very high and extreme fire indices were reported in units in Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah, New York and New Hampshire.
No fire weather watches or warnings have been posted.
[NICC Incident Management Situation Report, 5/30-6/1]
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
No entries.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
No entries.
MEMORANDA
No entries.
EXCHANGE
No entries.
TRAINING AND WORKSHOP CALENDAR
Two calendars alternate in the Morning Report on Mondays - this one, which
contains training courses and workshops, and a second, which contains
meetings, conferences and events. If you know of a conference, meeting,
workshop or training session with Servicewide interest and implications,
please send the information along.
Entries are listed no earlier than FOUR months before the event, EXCEPT in
instances in which registration dates close much earlier. Asterisks (*)
indicate new entries; pound signs (#) indicate revisions to entries that have
appeared previously. Brevity in entries is appreciated.
6/8-12 Course: Firefighter Level I
Location: Yosemite NP, CA
Details: ---
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Deron Mills
Phone/fax: 209-372-0327; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Jim Farrel, NPS/NIFC
6/8-13 Course: Compass II: Universal Competencies and Orientation
Location: Redwood N&SP, CA
Details: Offered regionwide. Refer to the Learning Place
bulletin board.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Scot McElveen, or Denise Cobb
Phone/fax: McElveen: 760-786-3245, Cobb: 702-293-8978; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Betty Browning, HOAL
6/15-19 Course: Preservation Skills Workshop
Location: Grey Towers NHL, Milford, PA
Details: Hands-on workshop for developmental and full-
performance maintenance employees involved in the
preservation of historic structures.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Dorothy Printup, Historic Preservation Training
Center
Phone/fax: 301-663-8206; 301-663-8032
E-mail: Dorothy Printup at NP-HPTC-1
Submitter: Same
6/22-25 Course: Bike Patrol
Location: Gateway NRA, NY
Details: The course will qualify rangers and USPP officers in
practical and patrol cycling skills. The first three
days will focus on law enforcement, the fourth will
be general in nature. Nomination forms should be
requested from Marisol Soto via cc:Mail at NP-GATE.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Jose Rosario
Phone/fax: 718-354-4615; ---
E-mail: Jose Rosario at NP-GATE
Submitter: Same
6/22-26 Course: Compass II: Universal Competencies and Orientation
Location: Mather TC, WV, and Albright TC, GRCA
Details: Open to all employees and partners. Refer to the
Learning Place bulletin board.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: STMA: Dianne White or Laurie Heupel
HOAL: Theresa Griggs or Alisa Lynch
Phone/fax: White: 505-785-2232 x 321, Heupel: 919-728-2250
Griggs: 415-556-0505, Lynch: 915-477-2251 x 196
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Betty Browning, HOAL
6/22-26 Course: Expanding Education in the National Parks: A Train
the Trainers Opportunity
Location: Lowell NHP, Lowell, MA
Details: The course focuses on knowledge and skills needed to
prepare for the benchmark competency for "Preparing
and Presenting an Effective Education Program."
Trainers will be able to present Module 270
curriculum to NPS staff.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Elizabeth Hoermann, Lowell NHP
Phone/fax: 978-970-5021; 978-970-5030
E-mail: Betty Hoermann at NP-LOWE
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
7/13-17* Course: ARPA Training Program (XP-ARPTP-808)
Location: Tacoma, WA
Details: Hosted by DOD and the Army. The course focuses on
both criminal investigation and archeology.
Closes: Application closing date: June 24th.
Contact: Park training officer or regional employee
development officer.
Phone/fax: --- ; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC
7/14-17 Course: Basic Environmental Crimes Investigations
Location: Little Rock, AR
Details: Open only to personnel in Arkansas. Sponsored by the
Southern Environmental Enforcement Network.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Lana Burwell
Phone/fax: 334-242-7399; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Einar Olsen, NCSO
8/3-7 Course: Administration for First-Line Supervisors
Location: St. Paul, MN
Details: The course is designed to provide first-line
supervisors from all disciplines with full
performance level competencies in administrative
functions to assist them in their roles as
supervisors.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Thomas J. Ferranti
Phone/fax: 907-257-2550; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
8/3-7 Course: Fire Officer
Location: Golden Gate NRA, CA
Details: ---
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Hal Spencer
Phone/fax: 415-561-5133; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Jim Farrel, NPS/NIFC
8/11-12* Course: Critical Issues in History Education
Location: Mather TC, Harpers Ferry, WV
Details: The course provides an overview of issues in historic
site interpretation of history and memory,
commemoration, and historical methods and evidence.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Laura Feller
Phone/fax: 202-343-9528; 202-343-1244
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
8/17-21 Course: Environmental Crime Investigation Techniques
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Details: Open to personnel in Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and
Tennessee. Sponsored by the Southern Environmental
Enforcement Network.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Lana Burwell
Phone/fax: 334-242-7399; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Einar Olsen, NCSO
8/18-19* Course: The First Step to Behavior-Based Safety
Location: Mather TC, Harpers Ferry, WV
Details: The seminar will present principles that will assist
in reducing injuries in parks.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Mary Robinson
Phone/fax: 304-535-6723; 304-535-6408
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Joyce Howe, STMA
8/31-9/4 Course: Compass II: Universal Competencies and Orientation
Location: Albright TC, GRCA, AZ
Details: Offered Servicewide. Refer to the Learning Place
bulletin board.
Closes: Application closing date: Not provided.
Contact: Betsy Haynes or Kevin Turner
Phone/fax: Haynes: 540-721-2094, Cobb: 415-289-2366; ---
E-mail: ---
Submitter: Betty Browning, HOAL
* * * * *
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Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.
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