INCIDENTS

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Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park (TX)
Rangers Save Life Of Victim Of Rollover Accident

On July 20th, protection rangers Katie Pitzenberger and Drew Gilmour were traveling between park districts on Highway 290 when they came upon a single-vehicle rollover accident. Flames were issuing from the front engine compartment, and a 77-year-old man was pinned inside the vehicle. Pitzenberger was able to free and extricate him just before flames entered the driver's side compartment. She then provided EMS care while Gilmour extinguished the fire with help from bystanders and established a landing zone for a medevac helicopter. North Blanco EMS arrived on scene and prepared the man for Life Flight transport to Breckenridge Trauma Center in Austin, where he remains in critical condition. Texas DPS investigators determined that he fell asleep at the wheel.
[Submitted by Drew Gilmour, Acting Chief Ranger]

Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
Rangers Take Disturbed Man into Custody

On the morning of July 14th, park staff reported that a lone hiker who had been staying at the Mystic Lake backcountry camp had been acting strange and stealing food and miscellaneous items from other backpackers. He was also observed talking to the trees and to God. Protection rangers searched for him the next day and found him in the White River campground. When contacted, the 27-year-old man, who was found to have a history of mental illness, ignored commands and instructions from a ranger and continued hiking. When confronted, he received counsel from God, tried to walk through/over the ranger, and tried to flee. He was taken into custody for psychological evaluation.

[Submitted by Uwe Nehring]

Canyonlands National Park (UT)
Lightning Strike on Park Residence

An intense lightning storm moved through the Needles District around 8 p.m. on July 19th. Lightning started two small wildland fires near the Needles residential area, and several district personnel responded and extinguished them A bolt of lightning struck very close to the housing area at 10:45 p.m., forcing the firefighters to return to the safety of their engine. Shortly thereafter, employee Nova Clarke reported that the fire alarm in her residence had been activated. Maintenance worker Dave Burt was asked to check out the electrical system and structure to ensure that there was no fire danger. He did so and cleared from the residence, but then discovered that the phone in his own nearby residence was not working. The next morning, Burt found a hole in another residence that had apparently been caused by a lightning strike. The building is a duplex; one side is unoccupied, but Clarke lived on the other side. The outside of the building is constructed of foam covered with stucco. A hole was found in the stucco about 10 inches in diameter and 10 inches deep, exposing the underlying wood and foam. The foam had been melted and the wood underneath had been lightly charred. Burt took several photos and then placed a temporary cover over the damaged area. The other structures in the area suffered no apparent damage.
[Submitted by Rich Perch, District Ranger, Needles District]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Thursday, July 24, 2003

Preparedness Level 5

The preparedness level has gone up one step. Preparedness Level 5 goes into effect when the following conditions are met: Several geographic areas are experiencing major incidents which have the potential to exhaust all agency fire resources. A total of 550 crews are committed nationally.

Initial attack yesterday was heavy in the Southwest and western Great Basin, moderate in the Northwest and southern California, and light elsewhere. A total of 317 new fires were reported, eight of which became large fires. Another seven large fires were contained.

An area command team (Ribar) has been ordered to manage large fires on the Salmon-Challis NF.

On July 22nd, two firefighters were killed while working on the Cramer Fire on the Salmon-Challis NF. The following additional information appeared in yesterday's Idaho Statesman:

"Two firefighters battling the Cramer fire in central Idaho died Tuesday night after they were overrun by flames, officials said Wednesday. The two were members of the Salmon-Challis National Forest helitack crew fighting the fire 17 miles west of Shoup. Their names were not released.

"A Forest Service statement said an investigation team has been assigned and all firefighters have been taken off the fire line for safety reasons. The blaze also forced the evacuation of the nearby Long Tom Lookout.

"The lightning-caused fire was reported Sunday evening. No further details about the deaths were immediately available.

"Thirty-four firefighters had been assigned to the blaze, which blew up over the Salmon valley Tuesday, from its original 220 acres to about 1,000 acres of timber.

"'It's bad right now. The fire behavior today was incredible,' said Gail Baer, fire information officer with the Salmon-Challis National Forest. 'I don't want to scare people away, but they really should pay attention before heading out to go play in the woods.'"

Fire Danger

Day	7/19	7/20	7/21	7/22	7/23	7/24
Alaska	--	--	VX	VX	VX	VX
Arizona	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
California	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Colorado	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Hawaii	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Idaho	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Montana	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Nevada	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
New Mexico	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oklahoma	VX	VX	VX	VX	--	VX
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Texas	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Utah	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Washington	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Wyoming	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX

VH — Very high
EX — Extreme
VX — Very high to extreme

Fire Weather Watches and Warnings

FIRE WEATHER WATCHES have been issued for possible dry lightning, warm temperatures, low humidity and very dry fuels for the northern Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and for dry thunderstorms in the northern Rockies.

A RED FLAG WARNING has been issued for gusty winds and low relative humidity for parts of the northern Rockies.

National Resource Commitments

Day	7/18	7/19	7/20	7/21	7/22	7/23	7/24
Crews	381	394	449	502	536	535	475
Engines	745	801	814	1,034	1,085	881	925
Helicopters	103	142	155	176	164	176	160
Air Tankers	1	3	3	2	3	4	2
Overhead	3,080	3,050	3,212	2,952	3,159	3,528	3,951

National Team Commitments

New team commitments or changes in teams are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
ID	ACT	Ribar	Salmon-Challis NF Fires	---	---	---
WA	T1 ST	Anderson/ Furlong/ Ghormley	Fawn Peak Complex Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	58,734	35%	UNK
MT	T1	Bennett	Wedge Canyon Fire Flathead NF	4,500	5%	UNK
MT	T1	Frye	Frog Pond Fire Bitterroot NF	4,000	NR	UNK
ID	T1	Frye	Blackwall Fire Salmon-Challis NF	4,325	10%	UNK
ID	T1	Martin	Cramer Fire Salmon-Cahllis NF	5,400	NR	UNK
ID	T1	Sexton	Hot Creek Fire Boise NF	14,000	0%	UNK
CA	ST1	Marshall/ Joseph	Coyote Fire Monta Vista Unit	18,705	100%	CND
CA	T2	Dietrich	Basin Fire Sequoia NF	75	0%	UNK
CA	T2	Wendt	Smoke Complex N. Cal. District, BLM	6,400	30%	7/30
CO	T2	Saleen	Maverick Fire West Slope Center, BLM	1,471	0%	UNK
CO	T2	Saleen	JB Fire West Slope Center, BLM	1,007	90%	7/24
MT	T2	Swope	Big Creek Fire Bitterroot NF	1,148	25%	UNK
ID	T2	Muir	Crystal Creek Fire Salmon-Challis NF	1,055	NR	UNK
CA	T2	Hefner	Chilcoot Complex Tahoe NF	700	0%	7/24
AZ	T2	Rios	Blue River Complex Apache-Sitgreaves NF	18,537	70%	UNK
CO	T2	Perkins	Bolt Fire Southern Ute Reservation	2,160	60%	7/26
MT	T2	Chrisman	Hidden Lake Fire Beaverhead/Deerlodge NF	2,500	5%	UNK
ID	T2	Benes	Slims Fire Nez Perce NF	1,250	NR	UNK
MT	T2	Gray	Missouri Breaks Complex Miles City FO, BLM	122,000	40%	7/28
WY	T2	Kearney	Big Spring Fire Casper FO, BLM	1,600	45%	7/26
WY	T2	Domanski	Deep Lake Fire Shoshone NF	6,020	22%	UNK
CO	T2	Sczepanik	Balcony House Complex Mesa Verde NP	2,750	30%	7/24
NM	T2	Philbin	Molina Complex Santa Fe NF	7,240	90%	7/23
NM	T2	Bateman	Spruce Complex Gila NF	8,360	5%	UNK
OR	T2 ST	Gardner Labhart	Clark Fire Willamette NF	4,200	30%	7/30
OR	ST	Hoff	18 Fire Deschutes NF	450	0%	UNK
WA	ST	Jennings/Perry	McGinnis Flats Fire Colville Agency	2,217	55%	7/26
WA	ST	Holloway/Reed	Watts Road State Land	1,064	80%	7/24
UT	FUM	Fay/ Hickerson	Timber Top Complex Zion NP	113	N/A	N/A
MT	FUM	Cook	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	5,300	0%	9/5
NM	FUM	Cones	Dry Lake Complex Gila NF	93,500	N/A	N/A
NM	FUM	Cones	Turnbo Fire Gila NF	17,000	NR	UNK

Fire and Aviation Management
NPS Fire Summary - Thursday, July 24, 2003

Mesa Verde National Park

Balcony House Complex (2,750 acres) — The fire is 30% contained. Firefighters are rehabilitating fire lines by constructing water bars and scattering brush to decrease potential for soil erosion. A BAER team will arrive by the weekend to set priorities for rehabilitation and develop a recovery plan.

Yellowstone National Park

Boundary Fire (2 acres) — Smokejumpers were demobed yesterday and another crew has been brought in to continue mop-up.

Pumice Fire (4 acres) — Contained. Mop-up was completed on Tuesday.

Amethyst Fire (315 acres) — The fire is 90% contained. Several hand crews continue to line the fire and catch spot fires. Helicopter drops will continue as needed. The Specimen Ridge Trail is closed from the junction with the Agate Creek Trail to the Lamar River due to the fire.

Glacier National Park

Trapper Fire (3,660 acres) — The fire, being managed by Cook's fire use management team, continues to grow. The wind pushed the fire across the Going to the Sun Highway yesterday afternoon. That highway is currently closed; visitors were evacuated from the area. The park remains open. Once winds subside, Cook's team will evaluate future options. It appears that the fire will make it to the Granite Peak Chalet. Park and fire personnel are currently at the chalet, ready to implement structure protection. The Loop Trail, Granite Park to Pass Creek and Flattop to Packers Roost to Pass Creek Trails have been closed as a precautionary measure.

Wolf Gun Fire (500 acres) — No new developments.

Paul Bunyan Fire (350 acres) — No new developments; still inactive.

Wedge Canyon Fire (4,500 acres) — The fire is expected to burn into the park from the Flathead NF. Structure protection is in place at two ranger stations. Kintla drainage area trails are closed to backcountry travel. The auto campground at Kintla is open. The Flattop Mountain campground and Fifty Mountain campground are both closed.

Zion National Park

Timber Top Complex (100 acres) — Only minimal activity was reported yesterday.

Altar of Sacrifice Complex — No new developments.

Grand Canyon National Park

Basin Fire (0.5 acre) — The fire is being managed as a wildland fire use fire.

El Malpais National Monument

Twin Fire (0.5 acre) — The fire has been contained.

Lost Woman Fire (0.1 acre) — The fire has been suppressed.

Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve

Cleveland Gulch Fire (4 acres) — Containment was expected yesterday.

Dinosaur National Monument

Peterson Fire (150 acres) — The fire is 50% contained.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

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Visitor and Resource Protection
V&RP; Kicks Off Communications Initiative

Visitor and Resource Protection today launched its new website on Inside NPS. Included is the background information on the evolution of V&RP, current information on law enforcement reforms, and a message from Associate Director Karen Taylor-Goodrich about the law enforcement needs assessment that is due on August 1st. The home page can be found at http://www.inside.nps.gov/programs/directorate.cfm?dir=5&page=home. Once you get there, go to the left side of the page to the heading "In Depth." The three articles alluded to above appear there under "AD Updates," "Evolution of VRP," and "Law Enforcement Reforms." This is the first stage of a concerted effort to provide increased information to the field about the V&RP directorate, its programs, and its current issues. Future upgrades and developments will also be cross-referenced in InsideNPS and the Morning Report in order to assure that the word gets out to all hands.
[Submitted by Debee Schwarz]

Visitor and Resource Protection
Memorandum: "Physical Fitness Study"

July 23, 2003

Memorandum

To:                Regional Chief Rangers
                     Regional Human Resources Managers

From:            Chief, Health and Fitness Division
                     Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO

Subject:         Physical Fitness Study

Please distribute the following information widely:

The National Park Service has contracted with Fitness Intervention Technologies of Richardson, Texas (an associate of the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research) to conduct a study to define job related physical fitness tests and requirements for law enforcement positions (025/1811), including FLETC applicants. As the NPS moves forward with this study, information will be continuously updated on the Health & Fitness webpage on InsideNPS. Mr. Robert Turner, USPP, will oversee the implementation of this contract. Mr. Turner will be on a part-time detail to the NPS Health & Fitness Division during this study. At this time, the USPP will continue to utilize their present physical fitness program with the focus of this study being Park Rangers and Special Agents.

The purposes of this study are to: 1)Reduce the injuries and lost time in training, including FLETC basic, and in duty status due to low levels of physical fitness 2) Meet the legal challenges that require that all selection standards be job related and 3) Ensure that law enforcement personnel can meet the physical demands of the job and maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent health risks. The current Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) utilized by FLETC and the in-service program are not meeting these needs.

It is imperative that the defined requirements not be based on theory but rather on the realistic physical demands needed to be a law enforcement officer, whether 025 or 1811, for the NPS. Consequently, it will be necessary to survey and assess our present law enforcement work force.

There are three (3) main phases to the study:

1. Job Task Analysis (JTA). Definition of the physical demands of the job with a job task analysis (JTA) focusing only on the physical requirements of the job. A stratified (by age and gender) random sample of law enforcement employees will be provided written surveys to evaluate the strenuous physical tasks encountered on the job.

2. Physical performance assessment. A stratified random sample of law enforcement employees will be assessed on a battery of job task simulation (based on the JTA data), the PEB and other fitness tests.

3. Analysis of the assessment data. The data will be used to define job related physical fitness tests and requirements for applicants, recruits and incumbents. Recommendations will also be made for upgrading the in-service fitness program

It is anticipated that the FIT study will take over 8 months. Preliminary data is now being gathered. Regions and parks will be provided detailed information on the potential need for their law enforcement staff, or park facilities, for study purposes as we progress. Other DOI agencies, with law enforcement staff, have shown an interest in participating in this project.

Authorities:

5 CFR 339.203 Authorizes agencies to establish physical requirements for positions with physically rigorous duties.
DM 446, Chapter 2.1 as amended
Director's Order #57
5 United States Code, Section 7901, 7903, and 7904 Authorities for the Program
5 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 792 Authority for the Program

Program Contacts:

Pat Buccello, Chief, Health and Fitness Division, WASO, (202) 513-7131
Robert Turner, USPP, Fitness Program Specialist, (202) 610-3546
J.R. Tomasovic, Senior Program Manager, WASO-FLETC, (912) 554-4694

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Cape Cod National Seashore (MA)
GS-0025-13 Chief Ranger

The park has an announcement out for a GS-0025-13 chief ranger. The announcement opened on July 18th and closes on August 15th. The position requires a Level 1 law enforcement commission and is a secondary position under 6(c). The park contains a wide variety of significant natural and cultural resources and receives extremely heavy visitation (over 5 million recreational visits per year). Management and protection are made particularly challenging by the existence of portions of six towns, including 600 private residences, within its boundaries. The chief ranger is responsible for planning and directing a wide variety of programs and activities designed to enhance the protection of the park's natural and cultural resources and to provide for their enjoyment by the public. Programs include law enforcement, emergency medical services, ocean lifeguards, wildland fire, all-risk incident management, fee collection, special park uses, and concessions management. The duty station, headquarters in South Wellfleet, is located about 25 miles from Hyannis and 95 miles from Boston. Small residential communities adjacent to the park provide all typical services, including shopping, medical services, libraries, and schools at the elementary and high school levels. Public transportation between outer Cape towns is limited, but Provincetown has airline and ferry service to Boston. The outer Cape towns (Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown) offer a variety of cultural and outdoor activities. Year-round rentals are often difficult to obtain on the outer Cape. Rental units are few, and when found can range from $700 to over $1,000 per month. The cost to purchase a three-bedroom house in a town close to the park may range from $250,000 to $400,000. A broader selection of houses at lower prices may be found beyond a 30-minute commuting distance. Government housing is not available. For more information, contact Mary Ann Dooley at 508-349-3785 ext. 228.
[Submitted by Mike Murray, Deputy Superintendent]

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.