Jewel Cave National Monument (SD)
Death of Employee
Maintenance mechanic and acting chief of maintenance Brian Evans, 38,
died of a heart attack on Friday, December 19th. He had worked at the
park for the past three years. No further details are currently
available.
[Submitted by Linda Stoll, Superintendent]
Cape Cod National Seashore (MA)
Emergency Aircraft Landing
A single-engine, two-seat Varga aircraft was forced to make an
emergency landing on the west side of Great Island on the afternoon of
December 21st. The plane, which had taken off from Chatham Airport and
had been airborne for about 30 minutes, lost power and landed on tidal
flats in about a foot of water. Pilot G.B. of Orleans was
uninjured. Rangers assisted in moving the plane above the high tide line
to avoid further damage to the aircraft and park lands. Over the next
two days, the plane was disassembled and removed by the owner, pilot and
rangers. A joint investigation is being conducted by the FAA and
rangers.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's Office]
Dry Tortugas National Park (FL)
Employee Injury from Bang Stick Discharge
While on patrol along the beach at Garden Key on the afternoon of
December 18th, ranger Tim Morrison discovered a stainless steel object
approximately four inches long lying in the sand. Initial examination
indicated that the object was possibly the nozzle to an air compressor
hose. Morrison placed the object in his pants pocket and continued
working the rest of his shift. Later that evening, he removed the object
from his pocket to re-examine it. After looking it over, he set it down
on a table, at which point it detonated. The discharge of what was later
determined to be a .357 caliber round severely injured his right index
finger and caused powder burns to his face. The Coast Guard was notified
and airlifted Morrison to Key West Hospital at about 3:30 a.m. After
several hours of surgery, doctors where able to clean and close the
wound. A day later, Morrison was released by the hospital. Investigation
revealed that the object was the end of a device used by scuba divers
called a "bang stick." In this case, it was made of stainless steel. The
bang stick broke down into two parts by unscrewing it. Inside one part
was a firing pin and spring; inside the other was the an empty casing to
a .357 magnum round. The bullet embedded in the ceiling of Morrison's
quarters at Fort Jefferson. It only takes approximately two pounds of
pressure to set one off and is usually used in conjunction with a long
rod or stick. The device, when not attached to a stick, looks very
benign. Morrison hopes this information prevents such an unfortunate
incident from happening to anyone else.
[Submitted by Willie Lopez,
Site Supervisor]
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Weekly Listing of Operations Training Opportunities
Operations Training Calendar
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 and revised 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.
**********************************************************************************************
January
January 9 — January 11: National Registry EMT-Basic Refresher, Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley NP, CA. $125 per student. For additional information, contact Laura_Wilvert@nps.gov, or call her at 760-786-3295. Or go to the NPS EMS web site at http://inside.nps.gov/programs/programcustommenu.cfm?menuid=1816&div=45&prog=177. [Dennis Burnett, WASO]
January 27 — January 29: National Emergency Medical Services Conference, San Diego, CA. This training will provide participants with the latest updates on contemporary standards of pre-hospital patient care, instruction in the application of NPS EMS policy, and the coordination of EMS programs within the parks. Specific topics to be addressed include Director's Order 51, Reference Manual 51, the NPS EMS field manual, EMS program coordination, NPS national standard protocol development, the National Registry of EMT's, EMS data management, patient care reports, the NPS white card, medical-legal issues, and a presentation by the national NPS EMS medical advisor. An EMS medical advisor meeting will preceded the training conference — it will take place on the afternoon of January 25th and all day on the 26th. Nominations must be received by December 29th. For more information, contact Randy Coffman, Chief, Emergency Services, WASO at 202-513-7093. [Randy Coffman]
February
February 2 — February 6: Law Enforcement Advanced Interviewing training (LEAINTP-402), FLETC, Glynco, GA. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. The announcement closes on December 29th. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]
February 2 — February 13: Advanced Driver Instructor Training (ADITP-401), FLETC, Glynco, GA. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. The announcement closes on December 29th. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]
February 3 — February 6: Instructor Techniques for Non-Lethal Training Ammunition Training (ITNTA-402), FLETC, Glynco, GA. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. The announcement closes on December 29th. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]
February 3 — February 6: EMT Refresher, Lassen Volcanic NP, CA. $50 per student. For additional information, contact Kelly_Roche@nps.gov, or call her at 530-595-4444. [Randy Coffman, WASO]
February 18 — June 11: National Park Ranger Basic Law Enforcement Training (NPRI-404), FLETC, Glynco, GA. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. The announcement closes on January 8th. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]
February 23 — February 25: EMS Refresher, Shenandoah NP, VA. For more information, please go to the NPS EMS web site at http://inside.nps.gov/programs/programcustommenu.cfm?menuid=1824&div=45&prog=177.
[Randy Coffman, WASO]
March
March 1 — March 5: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), FLETC, Glynco, GA. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
March 1 — March 12: Special Operations (SPECOPS-401), FLETC, Tucson, AZ. Training for personnel who are directly involved with special law enforcement operations in the National Park Service. It is intended for those who are actually engaged in such enforcement activities, including terrorism and security, counter-narcotics, and anti-poaching. Includes tactical firearms exercises and training in anti-terrorism concepts and planning, ground/aerial surveillance techniques, use of technical equipment, team building, resource violation scenarios, tactical tracking skills, physical fitness, and officer survival. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. The announcement closes on January 9th. [Wiley Golden, NPS/FLETC]
March 30 — April 1: Colt M-16/AR-15 Rifle/Carbine/Submachine Gun Armorer's School, Delaware Water Gap NRA, Bushkill, PA. Those attending will be provided with a complete understanding of the design theory, nomenclature, dynamics, compatibility, interchangeability, detailed disassembly, assembly, maintenance and troubleshooting of the M-16/AR-15 family of weapons and certified for three years as a model-specific Colt law enforcement armorer. The course if for LE personnel only. Cost: $375. The closing date for applications is February 29th. For additional details, contact Mike Zirwas, park ranger, at 570-588-2436 or contact him via email. [Mike Zirwas, DEWA]
April
April 19 — April 23: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Colorado Springs, CO. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
May
May 10 — May 14: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Prescott, AZ. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
May 24 — May 28: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Redmond, OR. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
June
June 7 — June 11: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Missoula, MT. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
June 14 — June 18: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Boise, ID. The FI-210 course is designed to provide the coursework portion of the task book requirements for red card certification as a Type III fire investigator (wildland fire cause and origin). The course is open to both commissioned law enforcement and non-commissioned fire and resource management employees who are interested in developing and/or refreshing skills in fire investigation. Fore more information, contact either John Carpenter at 912-267-2607 (John.Carpenter@associates.dhs.gov) or SA Alan Foster at 530-359-2108. [Alan Foster]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Wilderness Stewardship
Memorial Service for Wes Henry
A memorial service for Wes Henry will be held in the auditorium in Main Interior in Washington from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, January 23rd.
Join together with the family and friends of Wes Henry to commemorate the accomplishments and celebrate the life of the man who dedicated his life's work to the preservation of wild lands. Like Bob Marshall, Aldo Leopold, Howard Zahniser, and George Wright before him, Wes was taken from this life much too young, but the legacy he has left us will endure.
Those of you who would like to send cards and notes to the family may do so to either Wes' brother Bill (William Henry, 729 Mill Street, Morristown, NJ 08057) or to Wes' children Owen and Olivia and their mother Mimi Westervelt (P.O. Box 332, Waterford, VA 20197).
The family has suggested that those wishing to make donations do so to the Wes Henry Memorial Fund at the George Wright Society, P.O. Box 65, Hancock, Michigan 49930.
The memorial fund will be dedicated to supporting wilderness-related educational efforts of the George Wright Society. Contact the GWS for more information at (906) 487-9722.
If you would like additional information concerning Wes' memorial service, please contact Debbie Brown (202) 565-1020, or Rick Potts (406) 243-4612.
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.