Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Rangers Rescue 73-Year-Old Man Near Lake Mohave
A Bullhead City woman called the park on the evening of January 30th
and reported that her husband, G.H., 73, had not yet arrived
home, that he was two hours past due, and that he'd gone boating with
his dog on Lake Mohave in his 17-foot Sea-Doo. Rangers Dan Fangen-Gritis
and Wes Houk immediately began searching for him and asked for
assistance from the Las Vegas Metro PD SAR helicopter. An observer in
the helicopter spotted G.H. and his vessel about 50 feet from the
water on the shore near Nine Mile Light around 1 a.m. Fangen-Gritis and
Houk reached him about an hour later, removed him from his vessel, and
treated him. The rangers credit his dog for keeping him warm until help
arrived. G.H. was taken by boat to Princess Cove, then airlifted to
the UMC Trauma Center in Las Vegas.
[Submitted by Roxanne Day,
Public Affairs Officer]
National Capital Parks-East (DC)
Weapons and Carjacking Arrests
Park Police officers from Anacostia Station have been responding to a
recent spike in violent crime in Southeast DC with pro-active
enforcement efforts. During a one week period, officers Steve Brown,
Jason Omo, Joe Bellino and Jim Dowd recovered four handguns during four
different criminal arrests, including both revolvers and
semi-automatics. Brown's case also resulted in the recovery of a dozen
bags of heroin. In an unrelated case, Bellino was on patrol on the
Suitland Parkway late at night when a Lincoln Navigator with illegally
tinted windows sped by. When he attempted to stop it, the driver at
first appeared to comply, but then fled at a high rate of speed. A
pursuit into the city ensued. Eagle I joined the chase from the air. An
NCIC check revealed that the Lincoln had been taken in a carjacking in
Fairfax County, Virginia. At one point, the driver attempted to hit
Bellino's cruiser. When the vehicle finally stopped, three people bailed
out; all three were eventually captured in a wooded area and arrested at
gunpoint. Fairfax County detectives came to Anacostia Station,
interviewed the trio, and returned the Lincoln to its owner. Of these
five cases, four were begun on the Suitland Parkway.
[Submitted by
Commander, Planning and Development Unit]
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA)
Suicide on Appalachian Trail
On January 22nd, rangers received a call from the Monroe County
emergency center reporting the receipt of a 911 call from a hiker who
said that he'd come upon a possible dead person along the Appalachian
Trail. The victim, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, was found
approximately a mile south of the Lake Lenape trailhead on the AT near
Eureka Creek. Investigation revealed that the victim had slit a wrist
with the sharp edge of a broken large glass soda bottle, then consumed
four different types of prescription medications — a total of over
200 pills. Rangers also discovered that he'd checked out of a
15-day-long rehab program one day prior to parking his car at the
trailhead parking lot. His body was raised 20 vertical feet, then
carried out about a half mile on a wheeled litter. There was a foot of
snow on the ground and temperatures were hovering around zero. The
Pennsylvania State Police and the Monroe County Coroner's Office
assisted with the investigation.
[Submitted by Chris A. Kross,
Supervisory Park Ranger]
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.
**********************************************************************************************
February
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 9 — March 13: ALS Provider Refresher, University Medical Center, Fresno, CA. A full 36-hour ALS refresher adhering to the 2001 DOT national standard EMT-Intermediate refresher training and meeting the requirements for the National Registry. Tuition: $250. If space is available, EMT basics may attend for CE hours. The registration deadline is February 16th. To register, contact Donna Armijo at UMC Fresno at 559-459-5105 (darmijo@communitymedical.org); for information, contact Debbie Brenchley at SEKI at 559-565-4434 (debbie_brenchley@nps.gov). [Randy Coffman, WASO]
March 16 — March 18: Archeological Resources Protection (XP-ARPTP-402), National Conservation and Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV. For information on costs, contact Virginia McCleskey at 912-554-4828 or Virginia.McCleskey@dhs.gov . The local contact is Eugene Marino at 703-358-2173. For registration information, contact either Wiley Golden at FLETC (912-267-2246) or JoAnn Andrews at USFWS at 912-267-2913. [Dennis Burnett, WASO]
March 22 — April 2: Physical Security Program (PSTP-404), FLETC, Glynco, GA. For a copy of the announcement, go to http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc. The announcement closes on February 18th. [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 13 — April 23: NPS Certified Driver Operator, Glen Canyon NRA, UT. This 80-hour class is designed to provide persons participating in National Park Service structure fire suppression with technical information and primary skills essential for safe operation and proper maintenance of a fire apparatus. From this course, students will have the knowledge and take home material, instructions and documents for delivering safe driving techniques and required inspection testing and maintenance of fire apparatus. Emphasis is hands-on training of pumping skills critical to the support of personnel assigned to fire control functions. Personnel will become proficient in troubleshooting, hydraulics, drafting and multiple line pumping evolutions. This will be supported with technical literature and training manuals. After successful completion of this course the individual will be certified to drive, pump and maintain structure fire apparatus for the NPS. For more information, contact Lisa Ford at 928-608-6250 or Hal Spencer at 202-513-7124. [Hal Spencer, NIFC]
April 19 — April 23: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Colorado Springs, CO. For 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]
April 19 — April 23: NPS Servicewide Basic Technical Rescue Training, Canyonlands NP, UT. This training course is designed for personnel who routinely evacuate injured or stranded persons from heights and difficult terrain. The course will provide participants with the skills to perform difficult technical rescues. Students will be required to bring technical gear, including seat harness, climbing helmet, carabiners, rappel rack, ascenders, etc. This is a very physically demanding course conducted outdoors with frequent exposure to severe heights. All participants must be in good physical condition. There is no tuition cost. All travel and per diem expenses will be by benefiting account. Nominations must be submitted by March 1st to Ken Phillips at Grand Canyon NP, either via email, phone (928-638-7792) or fax (928-638-7838). [Randy Coffman, WASO]
May
May 10 — May 14: Wildland Fire Origin and Cause Determination (NWCG FI-210), Prescott, AZ. For 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. For 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. For 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. For 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
Midwest/Intermountain Regions
Vacancies on Central Incident Management Team
Applications are currently being accepted to fill current and future vacancies on the Service's Central Incident Management Team. The team is comprised of employees of varying backgrounds from both the Intermountain and Midwest Regions. Over the last two years, the team has experienced a turnover in membership due to retirements, transfers and fire team assignments. It is accordingly actively recruiting to fill the following slots this fiscal year, with the hope of having all positions filled to a minimum of three qualified individuals in each slot:
- Incident Commander
- Operations Section Chief
- Logistics Section Chief
- Finance Section Chief
- Planning Section Chief
- Safety Officer
- Information Officer
Having three members in each position spreads the work and lessens the burden on any one individual and park. In order to do this, the tem will need six more people to bring the roster total to twenty-one. Prospective team members must posses and demonstrate interest, ability, enthusiasm and a willingness to tackle challenging tasks while working long shifts, often under less than idea conditions. Previous incident experience and red card qualifications are a plus. The mission of an incident management team is to provide support in managing incidents and events to parks when the resources needed to do so locally are beyond their capacity. The team takes great pride in providing a cost-effective solution to special events and emergency operations management. Prior events and incidents that this team has managed include Presidential and other dignitary visits, dedications, natural disasters, homeland security, and major events like the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Every unit within the National Park System has the potential for needing the services of this team and history tells us that it is more a matter of "when" than "if." Both regional offices have provided and will continue to provide the funding necessary to train and equip team members so they may be ready to respond when called. All applications for membership should be mailed or faxed to your respective regional chief ranger by the closing date of February 13th. Additional information and the team application form can be found on the team's pages of the NPS IMT web site at www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. For more information, contact Sherrie Collins, Central IMT Incident Commander (928-638-7910), Bill Blake, MWR Chief Ranger (402-221-3424 (phone), 402-221-7275 (fax)), or Kevin FitzGerald, IMR Chief Ranger, (303-969-2641 (phone), 303-969-2037 (fax)).
[Submitted by Al Nash, Central IMT]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
GS-12 Subdistrict Ranger
The park is seeking applicants for a GS-12 supervisory park ranger who will serve as the subdistrict ranger for the Old Faithful Subdistrict. This is a secondary law enforcement position under special retirement provisions. The vacancy announcement will be open from February 11th to the 25th. The subdistrict ranger is responsible for the supervision of permanent, seasonal and volunteer staff and the development of a multifaceted program involving resource protection and visitor management/protection activities. Old Faithful Subdistrict is part of the West District of Yellowstone National Park.
[Submitted by Lane Baker, Deputy Chief Ranger]
Pea Ridge National Military Park (AR)
GS-025-09 LE Ranger (Lateral)
Pea Ridge NMP in Garfield, Arkansas, is looking for a motivated individual to fill the park's open protection ranger position. This person will perform a wide variety of resource and visitor protection work, including law enforcement, emergency medical services and fire management. She/he will:
- conduct patrols and be involved in investigations, including the possibility of working in four NPS units in two states;
- provide emergency medical services at the first responder or EMT level;
- maintain working relations with a wide variety of federal, state and local agencies;
- educate, interpret and inform visitors about park resources;
- maintain a red card and be part of the park's wildland fire crew; and
- work closely with resources management and maintenance divisions in daily duties.
While Pea Ridge NMP is located in the rapidly growing northwest Arkansas area, there are still many opportunities for rural living and for outdoor recreation that can not be beat. For more information, please contact Steve Black at 479-451-8122 x 226.
[Submitted by Steve Black]
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.