Servicewide
Follow-up on Operation Liberty Shield
JD Swed's Type 1 incident management team demobilized on April 15th
and was succeeded by a Type 3 team headed by Dennis McGinnis. The team
will be completing the task of acquiring the remainder of the PPE for
protection against weapons of mass destruction. Through the support of
the national and regional directorates, chemical and biological PPE will
be purchased for all permanent full-time and subject-to-furlough law
enforcement rangers and officers. Special event teams and icon parks
have already received this equipment. Arrangements are underway for
training in its proper use. Questions about PPE acquisition can be
called in to the incident command post at 540-999-3174.
[Submitted
by Barb Stewart, IO, Type 1 IMT]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Operation Farthing
Over the course of the three-month period from August to October last
year, law enforcement rangers on the parkway stepped up traffic
enforcement in an effort to reduce the number of accidents on that road.
Motor vehicle collisions and associated deaths and injuries have been on
a steady rise. In 2001, there were 445 accidents in the park, an overall
increase of 45% from previous years. During the five year period
culminating in 2001, there were an average of 250 serious injuries and
nine fatalities per year. Many of the accidents occurred on weekends
over the late summer and early fall. Last August, rangers began their
effort to decrease accidents, christened "Operation Farthing" after Park
Police officer Hakim Farthing, who was killed while working a fatal car
crash last summer. All available LE rangers began patrolling the
parkway. The focus of the operation was Saturdays and Sundays from 11
a.m. to 7 p.m. from August to October. The objective was delineated by
Gordon Wissinger, the park's chief ranger: "Increased attention to
traffic enforcement was designed to encourage motorists to be more
attentive to their driving." There were 150 accidents over the
three-month period, an 11% decrease from the 170 reported during the
same period in 2001. Said Wissinger: "While many factors contribute to
accident frequency, we are very encouraged by the reversal in the trend.
I feel that, by our increased efforts, more visitors to the parkway are
enjoying their trip rather than having it marred by accidents and
injuries."
[Submitted by Ed Clark]
Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Employee Convicted of Theft from Park
In October, 2001, park employees determined that G.F., the
superintendent's secretary, had apparently been misusing her government
credit card. An investigation was begun, headed by special agent Todd
Swain, and it was determined that G.F. had stolen and embezzled a
total of $6,378.35 from the park, National Park Association, Employee
and Alumni Association, and a private company. G.F. was arrested last
December after refusing to meet with either her court-appointed attorney
or a federal probation officer, as had been ordered by the court. She
spent nearly a week in federal custody. In March, G.F. appeared in
federal court and pled guilty to one count of theft. She was placed on a
year's supervised probation and ordered to pay the full amount in
restitution.
[Submitted by Jeff Ohlfs, Acting Chief Ranger]
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (LA)
Drowning in Upper Horseshoe Canal
Ranger Eric Ulitalo was monitoring local police radio traffic on the
morning of Sunday, April 13th, when he hear a report of a drowning that
had just occurred in Upper Horseshoe Canal in Barataria Preserve. The
victim, a 23-year-old man, was on the south bank with three companions.
Ulitalo and a local firefighter/EMT were among the first on scene and
swam across the canal to begin CPR. Shortly thereafter, a passing boat
was used to transfer the victim and rescuers back to the north bank,
where an AED and other life support measures were employed in a vain
effort to revive him. Jefferson Parish SO is the lead agency; the
coroner's office will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of
death. Witness statements and evidence tentatively suggest that the
death was an accidental drowning.
[Submitted by Leigh Zahm, Acting
Chief Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
Initial attack was light to moderate on Tuesday, with 363 new fires reported. There were eleven new large fires. Most were in Oklahoma and were quickly contained. The remainder were in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin; with one exception, all were either largely or fully contained.
The commitment of IMT's to the Columbia Response remains the same.
Fire Danger
| State |
4/8 |
4/9 |
4/10 |
4/11 |
4/14 |
4/15 |
4/16 |
| Arizona |
-- |
-- |
EX |
VH |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Colorado |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Connecticut |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
| Illinois |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
| Indiana |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
| Minnesota |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| Missouri |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
VX |
VX |
| New Mexico |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
-- |
-- |
| North Dakota |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VH |
-- |
VX |
VX |
| Ohio |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
| Wisconsin |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
VX |
-- |
VH — Very high EX — Extreme VX — Very high to extreme
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
4/8 |
4/9 |
4/10 |
4/11 |
4/14 |
4/15 |
4/16 |
| Crews |
162 |
164 |
161 |
149 |
157 |
149 |
172 |
| Engines |
14 |
15 |
17 |
84 |
65 |
71 |
132 |
| Helicopters |
1 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
14 |
11 |
8 |
| Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Overhead |
2,382 |
2,377 |
2,395 |
2,419 |
2,319 |
2,099 |
2,149 |
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 |
" |
" |
" |
" |
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide News
Threat Advisory Level Dropped to Yellow
Following a review of intelligence and an assessment of threats by the intelligence community, the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Homeland Security Council, has made the decision to lower the threat advisory level to an elevated risk of terrorist attack, or "yellow level."
For details, click on "More Information" below.
More Information...
Memorandum: "Law Enforcement Credentials"
W34(FLETC)
April 14, 2003
Memorandum
To: Regional Directors
From: (for) Director /s/ Donald W. Murphy
Subject: Law Enforcement Credentials
Effective immediately, all National Park Service (NPS) law enforcement commissioned rangers are authorized and required to wear their law enforcement credential badge on their uniform shirt or outerwear. Additionally, I am approving the use of the new Department of the Interior credentials for all law enforcement rangers and special agents.
These actions will result in compliance with Departmental Manual 446, and will also satisfy an International Association of Chiefs of Police recommendation. This will also reduce any confusion cooperators and the public may have in identifying NPS law enforcement personnel. Director's Order/Reference Manual 9 will be changed to reflect this permanent change.
Additional information regarding the new credentials process will be forthcoming through the Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Division and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Please contact Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Acting Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection, at 202/565-1020 if you have any questions.
[Submitted by Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (WA)
GS-0401-7/9 Fuels Management Specialist
The park is looking for someone for a 120-day detail running from June 1st through September 26th in the Kettle Falls District. The person in this position will provide fire management leadership as a GS-0401-7/9 fuels management specialist and will assist an interagency fire management officer in the implementation of the park's wildland urban interface (WUI) program. Duties include day-to-day supervision of the fuels crew; compliance with NEPA policies, program coordination and administration, program target accomplishment and the safety and supervision of the WUI crew. The WUI program is part of a shared fire organization between the NPS and the USFS. The desired minimum qualification is strike team leader trainee. Lake Roosevelt will provide salary, cover travel to and from the park, and pay a per diem rate of $16.50 per day for meals and miscellaneous. The benefiting account will pay for quarters, a room in a shared three-bedroom house. The cost is $121.17. The park will only consider those already at the current grade of work. Please provide a copy of your current SF-50 with a list of three references and a summary of your fire experience. Send to Tom Wienmann, National Park Service, N. Dist. Fire Office, 1368 Kettle Park Road, Kettle Falls, WA 99141-8784, or call him at 509-738-6198 or 509-738-7707 by May 2, 2003. [Deb Mason, LARO]
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.