NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Friday, January 22, 1999

INCIDENTS

98-540 - Colorado NM (CO) - Follow-up: Pursuit, Falling Fatality

Ranger Bill Row came upon a white pickup truck parked in an employee parking
area near the park office at 9 p.m. on August 24, 1998.  When approached, the
driver fled, heading westbound on Rim Rock Drive.  Row activated his lights
and siren, summoned assistance from rangers and local officers, and pursued
the truck down the winding road.  When speeds approached 50 mph, Row broke
off the pursuit but continued following the truck.  He soon spotted it at
Distant View overlook, about a mile from the point where the pursuit began,
and saw the driver get out and run into the backcountry.  Row waited until
backup arrived before following him.  About 20 minutes later, ranger Patrick
Perrotti found the body of M.M., 51, of Grand Junction, at the
base of a 30-foot rock wall in a road cut on the switchback below the
overlook.  M.M. apparently ran through the backcountry in the dark,
unaware of the road cut in front of him.  Because the fatality was related to
a law enforcement contact, the chief ranger asked that the investigation be
conducted by an outside agency.  All evidence corroborated Row's report. 
Mesa County investigators found a single set of tracks approaching the cliff
edge that were consistent with a person running.  M.M. had an extensive
local criminal history dating back several decades; he was a habitual traffic
offender under Colorado law and did not have a valid driver's license.  He'd
been arrested for driving under the influence by Grand Junction police two
weeks prior to this incident, and autopsy results showed that he had a blood
alcohol content of 0.21%.  The death has been ruled accidental.  The park's
board of inquiry, attended by the cluster law enforcement specialist and the
sheriff's department investigator, concluded that Row's response to the
incident was appropriate and highly professional.  [Ron Young, CR, COLM,
1/21]

98-789 - Hot Springs NP (AR) - Assault on Ranger

Ranger Dennis Stock stopped a vehicle being driven erratically on Gorge Road
a half hour past midnight on June 12, 1998.  The driver, R.E., 36,
attempted to flee after exiting the vehicle.  Stock pursued R.E. and
wrestled him to the ground, but R.E. was able to get free, strike Stock in
the head with closed fists, knocking off Stock's prescription glasses, then
run off.  Stock returned to his patrol vehicle to get a second pair of
glasses and call for backup.  Efforts to find R.E. were unsuccessful, but
he was later located, arrested, and charged with violation of 18 USC 111
(assault on a federal officer).  On January 12th, R.E. pled guilty to a
misdemeanor charge.  He was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison, followed
by a year of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution to Stock for
his damaged uniform items.  [Rod Harris, HOSP, 1/12]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

No entries.

PARK DISPATCHES

No entries.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Fund Raising for Kolodski Family - Fund raising efforts continue for the
family of ranger Joe Kolodski.  A total of $3,670 was raised by chief rangers
at the 1998 Intermountain Region chief rangers' conference, held in Tucson,
Arizona.  The funds were raised through a raffle; raffle items were donated
by businesses contacted by conference organizers and chief rangers.  Many of
the chiefs donated items from their personal collections, including a badge
collection, a stamp collection, limited edition posters, and historic uniform
patches.  The Tucson SPMA handled the proceeds from the raffle and issued a
check to the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Meanwhile,
funds are also being raised for the family through sales of the cookbook,
"Cooking By Design," as previously noted in the Morning Report.  Copies of
the cookbook, which was put together by the Harpers Ferry Center Social
Activities Committee, are still available.  All profits go to the family. 
The book sells for $10, plus $2 for shipping (priority mail is $3 for either
one or two books).  The book and the recipes have gotten great reviews.  If
you would like to order one or more, please contact either Diana Cummins via
the Internet at montex@intrepid.net (or 304-728-0345), or Juanita Gustines on
cc:Mail at NP-HFC1 (or 304-535-6011).  You can also mail your order to
Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, Attn: Juanita. 
Please make your check or money order payable to HFC SAC and send to the same
address.  Be sure to include a mailing address for shipping the cookbook(s). 
Parks submitting orders of 25 or more should do so in a single order to
reduce shipping costs.  [Rick Frost, IMRO; Diana Cummins, HFC]

Lyme Vaccine - Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the
first Lyme Vaccine, LYME-rix.  The manufacturer, SmithKline Beecham, will
reportedly begin sending this product to doctors' offices within the next few
weeks.  They did not disclose the cost of the vaccine.  The FDA has several
reservations about this vaccine:

o     It can take a year or longer before the three shot series produces full
      protection from Lyme.
o     Not everyone will develop immunity from the disease even after taking
      the three shot series.
o     Protection provided by the three shot series is of relatively short
      duration. Booster shots may be required as often as yearly to maintain
      immunity.  
o     LYME-rix has not been approved for children less than 15 years of age. 
      SmithKline is testing the vaccine on children to determine safety and
      effectiveness.
     
Because of these concerns, NPS employees who take the LYME-rix vaccine will
need to continue taking precautionary measures to protect themselves from
Lyme.  These measures include:
 
o     Wear long-legged pants and, for extra protection, long-sleeved shirt
      and hat.
o     Tuck pant legs into socks or boots. Tuck shirt into pants. 
o     Wear light colored clothing so ticks can be spotted more easily. 
o     Stay in the middle of trails to avoid ticks waiting in overhanging
      grass and brush.
o     Spray insect repellent containing DEET on clothes and on exposed skin
      other than the face, or treat clothes (especially pants, socks, and
      shoes) with permethrin, which kills ticks on contact.
o     Inspect your clothes frequently for ticks when in tick habitat. Have a
      companion inspect your back.
o     Inspect your head and body thoroughly when you get in from the field.
      Use a mirror or have a companion check your back. 

If you have any questions, please contact your regional public health
consultant or park sanitarian, or call WASO PHS for more information at 202-
565-1120.  [Jerry Johnson, PHS/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

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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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