Haleakala National Park (HI)
Father and Daughter Presumed Drowned in Flash Flood
Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on April 10th, K.B., 39, his wife,
H.B., and their children C.B., 11, and E.B., 8, all from
Louisville, Kentucky, were hiking along 'Ohe'o Stream when E.B.
fell part way across. As her father was helping her, family members
heard a loud noise and saw a six-foot wall of water sweep down the creek
and carry the two over the 200-foot-high Makahiku Falls. The mother and
son were able to scramble up the steep slope to safety. A search was
begun, but no sign of the father and daughter has yet been found. Due to
the extreme flooding, pools along the entire downstream stretch of the
'Ohe'o and the ocean are both being included in the search area. Maui FD
divers are searching submerged ledges and underwater caves in the stream
as the turbulent water permits. At the time of the incident, light rain
was reported at Kipahulu VC and a flash flood warning had just been
released. That warning, posted at 4:25 p.m., covered the area from
Kipahulu to Haiku. The National Weather Service reported a 24-hour rain
total of .98 inches at 'Ohe'o, 3.23 inches in Hana, and 2.51 inches in
Kaupo
[Submitted by Sharon Ringsven, Acting Chief of
Interpretation]
Joshua Tree NP (CA)
Conviction for Arson, Vandalism of Natural Resources
Joshua Tree NP has historically been a popular gathering spot for outdoor enthusiasts during the Christmas and New Years holidays. During the 2002 holiday, all park campgrounds and facilities were full. While patrolling the Hidden Valley campground after dark on New Year's Eve, rangers Tim Bertrand and Scott Fischer saw two people on a rock formation above the campground. After hearing the distinctive sound of a tin white gas container hitting the rock, they observed a large fire erupt on the face of the formation. When they identified themselves to the pair, both fled from the area. The rangers apprehended them as they climbed down the back of the formation. They were subsequently identified as J.T. and E.W. Both were cited for arson, with mandatory court appearances stipulated. Later in the evening, the two rangers were again patrolling the campground. They came across a site with a large fire and several people talking loudly. As the rangers approached the site, they recognized J.T. and E.W. J.T. made several statements indicating that he had no remorse or understanding of what he had done. He stated several times that he planned on doing the same thing next year, and the he would also light several other fires. J.T. also said that "as the editor," he was not supposed to do things like this. Several days later, the rangers discovered that J.T. was the senior editor for Climbing Magazine, one of the top two publications on rock climbing. On April 4th, J.T. and E.W. appeared in federal court. They appeared separately in front of the magistrate, and each pled guilty. J.T. showed no remorse and did not apologize for his actions to the court. He was sentenced to five years' unsupervised probation, banned from entering the park for five years, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. The court also required him to provide copies of the rangers' report and the court proceedings to his employer and the magazine's owner, the Primedia Corporation. E.W. showed remorse and apologized to the court and to the park staff present for her actions. She was sentenced to a $500 fine and three years' unsupervised probation and banned from entering the park for a period of three years. [Jeff Ohlfs, Acting Chief Ranger, JOTR]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Monday, April 14, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
Just over 300 new fires were reported over the weekend. Ten of them were large fires, mostly in Minnesota and Oklahoma.
The commitment of IMT's to the Columbia Response remains the same, except that Bennett's Type 1 team has replaced Studebaker's. About 80% of the search area — just over 506,000 acres — has been searched.
Fire Danger
| State |
4/4 |
4/7 |
4/8 |
4/9 |
4/10 |
4/11 |
4/14 |
| Arizona |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
EX |
VH |
VH-E |
| Colorado |
EX |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH-E |
| Minnesota |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH-E |
| Missouri |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH-E |
| New Mexico |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH-E |
| North Dakota |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH |
-- |
| Oklahoma |
VH |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH — Very high EX — Extreme VH-E — Very high to extreme
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
4/4 |
4/7 |
4/8 |
4/9 |
4/10 |
4/11 |
4/14 |
| Crews |
182 |
161 |
162 |
164 |
161 |
149 |
157 |
| Engines |
63 |
6 |
14 |
15 |
17 |
84 |
65 |
| Helicopters |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
14 |
| Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Overhead |
2,174 |
2,452 |
2,382 |
2,377 |
2,395 |
2,419 |
2,319 |
National Team Commitments
| State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Incident/Fire |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
| TX |
T1 |
Bennett |
Columbia Response |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| TX |
T2 |
Crisman |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Morcum |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Raley |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Gray |
" |
" |
" |
" |
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Petrified Forest National Park (AZ)
One or More Protection Ranger Positions
The park is currently advertising for one and possibly more protection rangers. The vacancies are open through April 24th. These are permanent, full-time positions with a full performance level of GS 9. There is one announcement listed as a merit promotion announcement for federal employees at the GS 5/7/9 level, and another announcement listed through OPM open to all sources at the GS 7 level. They should both be available for review on USA Jobs. If you know of any seasonals with a few seasons experience who would be interested in good generalist ranger positions covering LE, structural fire, EMS, and some wildland fire, please let them know about this opportunity. We are also very interested in having any commissioned rangers apply for the position(s). For more info, call Greg Caffey, acting chief ranger, at 928-524-6822.
[Submitted by Greg Caffey, Acting Chief Ranger]
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.