Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve (AK)
Skier Killed By Avalanche On Verde Peak
On the afternoon of April 10th, P.C. of Ultima Thule Outfitters
contacted chief ranger Hunter Sharp by satellite phone and informed him
that one of his clients had been killed in an avalanche. The client was
later identified as Dr. R.L.P. III, 55, of Anchorage. Sharp
contacted Alaska state troopers, who have primary jurisdiction on
fatalities in the park, and informed them of the incident. Ranger/pilot
Tom Betts flew a trooper to Chitina airport, where he conducted
interviews with P.C., guide D.L., and R.L.P.'s skiing partner,
Dr. H.H. P.C. had landed the trio on the summit of Verde
peak to begin their descent. Both D.L. and H.H. said that the group
was staying high on the ridge, out of the danger zone, when they looked
back and saw R.L.P. ski down into the gully. R.L.P. stopped and was
performing a kick turn when the slope gave way about ten feet upslope.
R.L.P. lost his balance and fell head first upslope into the debris. A
second release immediately occurred above the first fracture and more
snow came down on top of him. The slide continued for approximately 1700
feet. R.L.P. was wearing a transciever and his body was located
approximately 25 minutes after the slide occurred. He suffered severe
head trauma and was lifeless when pulled out of the debris. Neither
D.L. nor H.H. was caught in the slide. P.C. first learned of the
fatality when he flew over the skiers to check on them at approximately
2:30 in the afternoon. After interviews were conducted, Betts and the
trooper flew to the site to obtain aerial photos. Due to the lateness of
the day, recovery efforts were put off until the next morning. At
approximately 9 a.m., the next morning, Betts met with P.C. and five of
his employees and a private helicopter owned and operated by a friend of
P.C. at a frozen lake below the accident site. P.C. and three of his
employees were flown to the summit of Verde peak. They reached R.L.P.'s
body by the same route that D.L. had taken the day before. Betts and
two others skied from the valley below up to the site. The body was
extricated and skied down to a point where the helicopter was able hook
on with a long line and sling the body down to the airplanes below.
Prior to leaving the site one of the rescuers led the group in a very
moving short memorial service. Media interest has been high as both of
the doctors are well known in the Anchorage community.
[Submitted by
Tom Betts, Park Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Friday, April 11, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
Eleven of the 158 new fires reported on Thursday became large fires. Seven had not yet been contained at the time of the report on Friday morning four in Minnesota and one each in Oklahoma, North Dakota and Montana.
Fire Danger
| State |
4/3 |
4/4 |
4/7 |
4/8 |
4/9 |
4/10 |
4/11 |
| Arizona |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
EX |
VH |
| Colorado |
-- |
EX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Indiana |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Kentucky |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Missouri |
VH |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| North Dakota |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH |
| Oklahoma |
VH |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH — Very high EX — Extreme
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
4/3 |
4/4 |
4/7 |
4/8 |
4/9 |
4/10 |
4/11 |
| Crews |
177 |
182 |
161 |
162 |
164 |
161 |
149 |
| Engines |
77 |
63 |
6 |
14 |
15 |
17 |
84 |
| Helicopters |
4 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
| Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Overhead |
2,143 |
2,174 |
2,452 |
2,382 |
2,377 |
2,395 |
2,419 |
National Team Commitments
| State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Incident/Fire |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
| TX |
T1 |
Studebaker |
Columbia Response |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| TX |
T2 |
Crisman |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Morcum |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Raley |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Gray |
" |
" |
" |
" |
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Weekly Listing of Operations Training Opportunities
This calendar appears every Monday as an addendum to the Morning Report and a separate entry for InsideNPS. It is not meant to be replace the Learning Place; rather it is a quick summary of available training with links (as available) to relevant Learning Place pages. Please note:
- New entries are in bold face.
- Submissions for other training courses should conform to the style used here.
- Please include the URL to the web sites where readers can obtain the requisite forms and/or find out additional information about the training course. If a URL is not specifically listed, the announcement can likely be found on the Learning Place, the NPS training page found at http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc.
- Closing dates for applications are underscored.
**********************************************************************************************
April
April 22 — April 24: Park Medic Refresher Training, Rocky Mountain NP, CO. Completion of the course will qualify for park medic and intermediate EMT (85) recertification. For more information, contact Eric Gabriel at 970-586-1430. [Randy Coffman, WASO]
April 24: Terrorism Training for NPS Personnel, Anacostia Operations Facility, Washington, DC. Training via Powerpoint presentation on terrorism threats for NPS maintenance employees, interpretive rangers, supervisors and other staff with frequent public contact. Participants will be trained to discern suspicious activity and report it. Presented by Capt. Kevin Hay. Superintendents and other managers are asked to collect the names of participants and send consolidated lists to Captain Hay via email or fax (202-610-6999). Closes on April 21st. [Scott Fear, USPP]
April 29 - May 1: Basic EMT Refresher, Zion NP, UT. Taught by Tod Levesh, a former parkmedic and current paramedic and FEM/A urban SAR team member. Tuition: $75. Lodging is at the Driftwood Lodge, 435-772-3262. For more information, contact Cody Cole, EMS coordinator, Zion NP, at 435-772-0163. [Randy-Coffman@nps.gov]
May
May 5 - May 9: High Angle Rope Rescue Training, New River Gorge, WV. The course will focus on basic to advanced high angle rope rescue techniques. All participants must be in good physical condition and be able to spend extended periods of time on fixed ropes. Climbing ability is not necessary. For more information, contact ranger Rob Turan at 304-763-3145 ext. 14. [Rob_Turan@nps.gov]
May 12: Park Medic Refresher, University Medical Center, Fresno, CA. Twelve hours of advanced life support continuing education. The course will cover a large portion of the NREMT mandatory core refresher requirements for EMT intermediates. To register, contact Donna Armijo at UMC (559-459-5105); for general information, call Debbie Brenchely at Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP (559-565-4334). [Randy-Coffman@nps.gov]
May 27 - May 30: Instructor Training for Non-Lethal Training Ammunition, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 22nd. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
June
June 2 - June 13: Technical Investigative Equipment Training Program, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 29th. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
June 9 — June 10: Root Cause Analysis for Incident Investigation, Phoenix, AZ. Root cause analysis is a critical element of the incident investigation and reporting management system. This course, presented by Apollo Associated Services, Inc, is designed to establish a cadre of practitioners within each region. Participants will learn to understand, and apply the problem solving and decision making process of root cause analysis to their "real world" problems by developing clear and quantified problem definitions, establishing the cause and effect relationships for the problem, and, most importantly, developing creative solutions that attack and eliminate the causes of the problems. Closes on May 9th. For further information and a nomination form, contact Shirley Rowley via email or at 303-969-2536. [Shirley_Rowley@nps.gov]
June 11 — June 12: Root Cause Analysis for Incident Investigation, Phoenix, AZ. Same as above.
June 9 - June 20: Firearms Instructor Training Program, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 29th. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
June 10 — June 19: Basic Law Enforcement for Supervisors, FLETC, Glynco, GA. This program provides trainees with the opportunity to develop and refined their supervisory abilities. The instructors are all current or former supervisory law enforcement professionals. Closes on April 29th. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
June 17 — June 19: NFPA 101 — Life Safety Code Seminar, Reno, NV. The course will provide a better understanding of the life safety code and applications of the code to NPS structures. It will provide a bridge between NFPA 101 and other related NFPA standards. Applications myst be submitted to Shirley Rowley in Risk Management (303-969-2536) by May 12th. For further information, contact either Shirley Rowley or Hal Spencer at NIFC (208-387-5245). [Shirley Rowley, WASO]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Fire and Aviation Management
Detailers Needed for Hayman Fire Restoration Projects
There is a need for the following positions on the Hayman [Fire] Restoration Projects. The positions can be lateral assignments or temporary promotions. All
detailers will be working out of Colorado Springs. If people are
interested and available for any of these positions please call Connie Neff; Planning Unit Director; Hayman Fire Restoration Team; Pike and San Isabel National Forests; 719-264-6913 for more information and to discuss their experience.
| Title | Grade Level | Length of Detail |
| Fuels Planner |
GS 9 or 11 | 60 days |
| Soils Scientist (2) |
GS 9 or 11 | 60 days |
| Engineering Contracting Officer |
GS 11 or 12 | 120 days or shorter |
| Social Scientist |
GS 11 | 60 days |
| Economist | GS 11 | 60 days |
| Forester (Reforestation) | GS 11 | 120 days or shorter |
| Public Affairs Officer | GS 11 | 120 days or shorter |
[Submitted by Connie Ness, 719-264-6913]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.