INCIDENTS

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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (CA)
Major Marijuana Eradication Operation

In late July of this year, park law enforcement rangers conducted overflight operations in high probability areas of the park and discovered several marijuana cultivation sites. On September 3rd and 4th, rangers and special agents from the park, Yosemite and Point Reyes removed three large marijuana-growing complexes from the East Fork Canyon of the Kaweah River. As has been the case with most other plantations discovered in the park, these complexes were hidden beneath thick chaparral vegetation on steep slopes well away from the park's popular destinations. Law enforcement officers from the Tulare County Sheriff's Department, Forest Service, and Immigration and Naturalization Service assisted in the multi-agency operation. A K-9 officer assigned to one of three teams was instrumental in the arrest of one person seen watering his illegal crop. Another person, also in the same garden, fled the scene. Both were identified as undocumented aliens. A total of 13,675 marijuana plants were eradicated over the two-day period. The plants were approximately three to four weeks from being harvested; if allowed to mature, their street value would have exceeded $54 million. Rangers and members of a state narcotics team returned to East Fork Canyon on September 8th and eradicated an additional 10,416 plants worth an estimated $41.6 million. All marijuana plants eradicated from parklands were removed by helicopter and turned over to the Tulare County Sheriff's Department for destruction. All of the garden complexes were found to have been operated by Mexican drug cartels. They contained resident camps and large garden sites with extensive hose lines and large amounts of fertilizer. Damage to resources was extensive. Park investigators are working with other agencies to identify higher level members of the group responsible for the sites found on parklands. The investigation continues.
[Submitted by Al DeLaCruz, Special Agent]

Yosemite National Park (CA)
Rescue of Injured Hiker

Around 9 p.m. on Monday, August 25th, Tuolumne rangers received a report of a hiker who had fallen and injured himself while scrambling up Tresidder Peak. M.M., 52, of Oakhurst, California, and a 37-year-old friend were traveling cross country up fourth- and easy fifth-class terrain on the 10,600 foot peak when they found themselves climbing rock that was more difficult than they could negotiate. Unable to continue up, M.M. tried to down-climb, but found that he was stuck. Eventually he deliberately let go of his grip and fell approximately 15 feet to a ledge, fracturing his left ankle and shattering his wrist. His friend was able to descend the peak and ran down the trail to report the accident. A team of Tuolumne rangers and SAR team members reached M.M. within an hour of the report. His injuries were splinted and he was packaged in a Stokes litter. Rescue personnel lowered M.M. with ropes 300 feet down steep slabs, then transported him four miles to the trailhead in a wheeled litter. He was taken to the Yosemite Medical Clinic by ambulance. The rescue lasted through the night until 7 a.m. the next morning and was complicated by thunderstorms.
[Submitted by George Paiva, IC]

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ)
Drug Interdiction and Seizure

Rangers stopped a 1994 Ford Probe for passing in a no passing zone on the afternoon of September 8th. A consent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 16 packages of marijuana weighing about 72 pounds hidden inside a gym bag in the hatchback and in a spare tire compartment. Richard Watson, 26, and Remzi Nesfield, 20, both of Phoenix, were arrested. 

[Submitted by Bo Stone, Park Ranger]

Big Thicket National Preserve (TX)
Arrest of Fleeing Felon

Rangers Brian Gourgues and Johnny Stafford contacted a group of three people for apparent alcohol violations in the Lakeview Day Use Area on Saturday, September 6th. During the contact, J.C. disobeyed commands from the rangers and fled into a heavily wooded area just outside the park. J.C. was apprehended by Gourgues a few minutes later as he attempted to enter a nearby occupied residence. Investigation revealed that J.C. was wanted on several felony warrants. Assistance was provided by several local enforcement agencies. Felony charges are pending through the U.S. Attorney's Office.
[Submitted by Chief Rangers Office]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Report - Friday, September 12, 2003

Preparedness Level 5

Initial attack remained light nationwide yesterday, with only 89 new fires reported. One large fire was contained.

A cold front is moving through the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies. An offshore flow will bring dry, gusty north to east winds over California.

Fire Danger

Day	9/4	9/8	9/9	9/10	9/11	9/12
Arizona	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
California	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Colorado	VX	--	--	--	--	--
Hawaii	--	VX	--	VX	VX	VX
Idaho	VX	VX	VX	VX	--	VX
Montana	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Nevada	VX	VX	VX	VX	--	--
New Mexico	--	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
North Dakota	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oklahoma	--	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Oregon	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
South Dakota	--	VX	VX	VX	--	--
Texas	--	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Utah	--	VX	VX	VX	VX	--
Washington	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX
Wyoming	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX	VX

VX = Very high to extreme danger

Fire Weather Watches and Warnings

FIRE WEATHER WATCHES have been issued for gusty north to northeast winds and low humidity for much of northern California, including Sacramento Valley and the surrounding foothills, coast mountains, and East Bay hills.

National Resource Commitments

Day	9/3	9/4	9/8	9/9	9/10	9/11	9/12
Crews	406	327	568	535	480	439	362
Engines	690	668	1,153	990	781	745	594
Helicopters	159	148	221	205	167	163	153
Air Tankers	1	3	3	2	0	0	0
Overhead	4,144	3,827	4,663	4,334	4,039	3,521	3,502

National Team Commitments

Teams are listed alphabetically by type. New team commitments or changes in teams (as of this report) are indicated in bold face.

State	Type Team	Team IC	Fire/Location	Acres	Percent Contain	Est Full Contain
MT	ACT	Williams-Rhodes	Flathead NF/Glacier NP Fires	---	---	---
MT	ACT	Greenhoe	B&B Complex	---	---	---
MT	T1	Cable	Robert Fire Flathead NF/Glacier NP	57,570	60	10/1
MT	T1	Cable	Middle Fork Complex Glacier NP	11,851	5	10/1
MT	T1	Cable	Rampage Complex Glacier NP	24,488	0	10/1
MT	T1 T2	Cable Saleen	Trapper Creek Complex Glacier NP	19,150	45	10/1
MT	T1	Frye	Myrtle Creek Fire Idaho Panhandle NF	3,700	65	9/15
WA	T1	Hart	Needle Complex Okanogan/Wenatchee NF	21,250	60	UNK
MT	T1	Lohrey	Fish Creek Complex Lolo NF	36,950	75	9/28
OR	T1 T2	Martin Gardner	B&B Complex Deschutes NF	90,824	66	UNK
MT	T1	Mortier	Blackfoot Lake Complex Flathead NF	29,836	30	9/30
CA	T1	Vail	Grindstone Complex Mendocino NF	4,017	20	UNK
MT	T2	Blume	Cooney Ridge Fire State Lands	25,110	97	9/12
MT	T2	Broyles	Mineral/Primm Fire State Lands	25,202	78	9/20
WA	T2	Halloway/ Reed	Maple Fire Okanogan/Wenatchee NF	1,635	10	UNK
OR	T2	Morcom	Bull Springs 2 Fire Umatilla NF	1,266	90	9/13
CA	T2	Mullenix	Covelo Complex Mendocino NF	240	80	9/12
MT	T2	Saleen	Wedge Canyon Fire Flathead NF	53,315	97	9/15
MT	FUM	Rath	Little Salmon Creek Wildland Fire Complex	44,350	0	UNK

PARK FIRE SITUATION

No summary today - but no significant changes from yesterday's report. Summaries will resume on Monday.

North Cascades National Park (WA)
North Cascades National Park Service Complex (Wildland Fire,Wildland Fire Use)

Fire personnel continue to monitor eight, lightning-caused fires in the park. The current most active fire is Big Beaver. These fires are burning in remote, fire use areas with natural barriers to fire spread, and are being allowed to play their natural role in the ecosystem. An ninth fire, Colonial, which is 0.25 acre in size, is being suppressed due to its location near visitor services. (full report)
Rain and cooler temperatures have minimized fire activity. Similar conditions are expected to continue. Aerial monitoring of the fires has been postponed due to weather conditions. Fire staff will continue to monitor fire activity. No further updates will be posted unless conditions change significantly. All fires remain within designated maximum management areas.
Status
A seven-mile section of the Big Beaver trail from its beginning at Ross Lake, extending northwest to the National Park/ Recreation Area Boundary near the mouth of McMillan Creek remains closed.
Acreage: North Cascades National Park Complex: 2,900 Total Acres North Unit fires: Big Beaver (2,070 acres), No Name (605 acres) Skymo Ridge (.25 acres) South Unit fires: Tricouni (204 acres), Klawatti (20 acres), Little Devil (.5 acre), Marble Creek (.1 acre), Hidden Lake Peak (.5 acre)
Estimated containment date: unknown[Submitted by Michelle Fidler, michelle_fidler@nps.gov, 360-873-4590 x27]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

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NPS Office at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Body Armor Recall

Second Chance Body Armor, Inc. has announced that it will begin an immediate program to upgrade or replace its Zylon-based Ultima and Ultimax protective vests, saying that previously worn Zylon vests wear out faster than expected and that there is a potential officer safety issue. The custom-made vests are worn by thousands of police officers and others who need protection from armed assaults. Under this program, officers will be given a choice of a free upgrade to their current vest that will assure its performance throughout the warranty period, or purchase of a new Monarch Summit vest at a significantly discounted cost. The upgrade involves the insertion of additional pads in a current vest and can be accomplished within minutes by individual officers. The voluntary upgrade program was announced following a series of in-service vest tests performed by Second Chance that indicated the Zylon-based vests wear out sooner than expected.

"We want to apologize for any inconvenience incurred by our customers, but we felt this is the right thing to do and we want to carry this program out as quickly as possible," said Paul Banducci, president of Second Chance. "We have always stood behind the quality of our products and we will continue to do just that," he added. In the more than 30 years that Second Chance has been manufacturing soft, concealable body armor, no vest has ever failed to stop a round it was designed to stop. Over that same period, the company has documented over 900 officers lives saved, more than any other body armor manufacturer.

This announcement by Second Chance came as a result of a police office in Pennsylvania who was shot on duty, is home recovering and still has the bullet (.40 cal) lodged within him. The officer was wearing the Second Chance Ultima IIa.

The NPS and FLETC want to stress to all rangers that they should continue wearing their vests and wait to see the results of the tests being conducted by Second Chance. The bullet in the above incident (which has not been recovered from the officer) could have been an armor piercing round or possibly one of the new frangible rounds. If this proves to be the case, no vest would have stopped it. If Second Chance is willing to upgrade at no cost or at a minimal cost, those parks that have older vests should take advantage of this offer regardless of the test results. The primary concern of the NPS is the same as that of Second Chance — that law enforcement officers will lose confidence in their vests and stop wearing them. Vests are getting better every day, but unfortunately the ammunition is also getting better. The only vest that will stop every round fired from a handgun is a ceramic vest that weighs about 20 pounds and cost upwards of a thousand dollars.

There are numerous accounts of vest failures, but fortunately in most cases the officer survives. The bullet is slowed down considerably by the vest and typically does not reach a vital organ or create the ballistic trauma of a bullet that has not been slowed down by having to penetrate the vest. Simply put it is better to be shot while wearing a vest as opposed to not wearing a vest. Your chances of surviving are greatly enhanced even if you have a vest failure.

If you have additional questions, contact Paul Henry at FLETC at 912-267-2245. For information about what Second Chance is doing, you can visit their web site at www.secondchance.com or call Donna Loveless (1-800-253-7090). Thanks to Bob Grant (CACO) for bringing this to our attention.

Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
Chief Ranger Commission Shields

Chief ranger shields are sensitive law enforcement identification. For better accountability and control of these shields, the following procedures have been established:

Chief park ranger shields will be issued to incumbent and newly hired chief rangers from FLETC. Chief rangers will carry the chief park ranger shield as long as they are in a chief park ranger position. These shields must be returned to FLETC when the chief ranger transfers out of a chief ranger position or retires. Chief rangers will not carry park ranger shields. Park rangers will be issued chief ranger shields when they are hired as chief rangers in exchange for the park ranger shield. Chief park ranger shields do not have numbers on the front. The control numbers are etched on the back by the vendor. Each chief ranger will be issued two pin style shields and one belt clip style shield. The commission card will stay the same. Regional chief ranger commission shields will follow this same policy. Please call JJ Martin at 912-267-3554 for further information. [Don Coelho, Chief, Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services]
[Submitted by Don Coelho, Chief]

Director/Deputy Directors
Memorandum: "Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime"

P3429(2400)

iAugust 27, 2003

Memorandum

To:               Regional Directors

From:           Deputy Director /s/ Donald W. Murphy

Subject:        Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime

On March 4th of this year, the Director approved the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS) Field Training Evaluation Program (FTEP). Oversight of the FTEP was assigned to the Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection (AD-VRP), with the Superintendent of Federal Law Enforcement Training Center being responsible for program development and supervision.

The NPS FTEP is a structured program based on validated law enforcement training standards that have been accepted nationwide. Field Training Rangers are subject to a rigorous screening process prior to selection. They are required to attend advanced training at FLETC in evaluation, training and motivation techniques. Only a limited group of individuals who have been screened, selected, and trained will be placed in a role as a Field Training Ranger. The role of these instructors requires constant oversight of a trainee during that employee's assigned duty hours. Additional supervisory, preparatory and logistical duties that are inherent to the Field Training Ranger position require him/her to work additional hours beyond the normal tour of duty. Such work includes completing the required daily and weekly evaluations, correcting weekly tests, developing remedial training, consulting with FLETC staff on program issues, or occasional extended hours hands-on training assignments. The additional hours of work are an integral part of the Field Training Ranger position and thus considered inherent to the nature of the Field Training Ranger's ability to properly evaluate the trainee for full, independent action as a Park Ranger.

The Title 5 of the United States Code section 5545(c)(2) and Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations section 550.151 authorizes the payment of Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) to an employee in a position in which the hours of duty cannot be controlled administratively and that requires substantial amounts of irregular or unscheduled overtime work, with the employee generally being responsible for recognizing, without supervision, circumstances that require the employee to remain on duty. The Director concurred AUO was the most effective means in accomplishing the work associated with the field training program.

Effective immediately AUO is an authorized compensation tool to be used in conjunction with the FTEP. I have asked the AD-VRP to work with the Associate Director for Administration, Business Practices and Workplace Development to jointly develop appropriate procedures for the use of AUO in support of the FTEP program.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Fire and Aviation Management
Contract Specialist, GS-1102-09

Dates: 09/11/2003 - 10/10/2003
This position is located in the Fire Management Program Center for the National Park Service. Incumbent performs small purchase and contracting support to the Fire Management Program Center. Most acquisition actions are less than $100,000. The incumbent must acquire and maintain a Level III warrant. Some acquisitions are complex, involving multi-year contracts, interagency agreements, Government Printing Office orders, and agreements with foreign governments. Incumbent works closely within property management guidelines to ensure that items are entered and tracked appropriately. Incumbent coordinates the preparation of agreements between the Fire Management Program Center and other government agencies, educational institutions, and other cooperators. Incumbent will perform as Acting Chief of Administration when necessary.[Submitted by Stephanie Lounsbury, stephanie_lounsbury@nps.gov, 208-387-5230] More Information...

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.