Glacier National Park
Three-Year-Old Rescued from Near Drowning
A father and his two sons — one three, the other five —
began a canoe trip on the Middle Fork River around
6:15 p.m.on May 26th. It was rainy and about 48 degrees at
the time. The canoe capsized just below the put-in point. The father was
able to find his older son, but the three-year-old was missing. He
climbed to the highway and flagged down a motorist who was able to make
a 911 call from a nearby business. Shortly after dispatch put the call
on the air, ranger Kevin Hammonds launched his kayak from the Walton
Ranger Station, about 200 yards from the point where the accident had
occurred. Hammonds searched the river for about a mile and found the boy
against a rock in the river. He was not breathing and had no pulse.
Hammons began CPR and continued it for ten minutes until rangers, rescue
personnel and a medevac helicopter and crew from Kalispell arrived.
Advanced life support measures were begun, and the boy was flown to
Kalispell. CPR was continued until 10:30
p.m., at which time the boy's pulse resumed. He was then flown to Sacred
Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington. At the time of the report, he'd
recovered fully, with no deficits. The incident has generated
considerable interest in cold water near-drownings, the associated
"diving reflex," and the prospects for recovery once the victim is
warmed and oxygenated.
[Submitted by Stephen Willis, Park
Ranger]
Everglades National Park (FL)
Electrical Fire; Serious Hazmat Incident Averted
Wildland firefighter Gary Carnall was driving past Flamingo Wells
along the main park road just after 8
p.m. on May 29th when he heard two distinct explosions and observed smoke
coming from that area. The Flamingo Wells complex is located
approximately 17 miles northeast of Flamingo and houses a water
treatment plant containing pressurized tanks of anhydrous ammonia and
chlorine gas and an electrical substation. The Flamingo structural fire
brigade responded, as did water treatment plant operator Marcie
Quinn. Mutual aid assistance was immediately requested from Miami-Dade
Fire and Rescue. Their hazmat unit and four additional structural
engines responded. Traffic on the main park road was stopped and a
two-mile diameter perimeter was established around the site due to the
potential of a significant hazmat incident. Upon arriving on
scene, NPS firefighters wearing self-contained breathing apparatus
entered the complex from an upwind direction to size up the fire, which
had apparently started inside the electrical substation, then spread to
adjoining wildland fuels. The fire was threatening a large generator
building and the control building for the water treatment plant.
Initial attack on the wildland fire was successful and it was contained
to one tenth of an acre. Florida Power and Light repair crews
arrived on scene and were able to de-energize the substation, making it
possible for the fire crew to extinguish the fire at its source in the
switch control box. Power was out to the main park visitor center and
headquarters for approximately four hours during the incident,
during which time the main park road was closed to visitor
traffic. Power to the Flamingo area was not restored until
noon on May 30th. No hazardous substances
were released during the incident. Tony Terry was IC.
[Submitted by Curt Dimmick, Flamingo District Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report Highlights — Thursday, June 10, 2004
Preparedness Level 1
Initial attack was again light everywhere, with only 88 new fires reported on Wednesday.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Warnings and Watches
FIRE WEATHER WATCHES have been issued today for dry fuels, low relative humidity and windy conditions over southern Colorado, and for strong west winds and low humidity for much of New Mexico.
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
|
Date |
6/4 |
6/5 |
6/6 |
6/7 |
6/8 |
6/9 |
6/10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crews |
35 |
31 |
49 |
50 |
74 |
83 |
89 |
|
Engines |
111 |
103 |
141 |
129 |
151 |
181 |
177 |
|
Helicopters |
15 |
12 |
14 |
25 |
31 |
38 |
130 |
|
Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Overhead |
284 |
347 |
275 |
227 |
337 |
327 |
326 |
National/State Team Commitments
Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name. Asterisks indicate state teams.
|
State |
Type |
Team IC |
Fire/Location |
Acres |
Acres |
Percent |
Est Full |
|
CA |
T1 * |
Henson |
Gaviota Fire |
7,100 |
7,440 |
60 |
6/10 |
|
| |||||||
|
AZ |
T2 |
Kvale |
Three Forks Fire |
3,500 |
6,500 |
10 |
6/12 |
|
CO |
FUM |
Cook |
Greasewood Fire |
2,500 |
6,870 |
N/A |
N/A |
Further Information
This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:
Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
Information on the NPS Fire Management Program Center (FMPC) and on park fires can be found at:
FMPC — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Midwest Region
Midwest Regional Office is Moving
The Midwest Regional Office is relocating to a new building. The dates of the move will be June 16-June 18. Employees will start working at the new building on Monday, June 21st. Parks within the Midwest Region will also be affected by this move.
Timeline of the move is as follows:
Wednesday June 16:
- Noon: Local network servers will begin to be shutdown.
- Network switches will be shut down.
- Lotus Notes mail servers will begin to shutdown. Parks and all regional staff will loose all email connectivity. IT equipment moving to new building.
Thursday, June 17:
- Postal service will be discontinued until June 22
- Park internet may be down Thursday and Friday. During the downtime, most parks will not have internet access. Parks that have satellite, DSL or cable connections will continue to have access to the internet - however, they will not be able to send/receive e-mail using Lotus Notes. Parks with urgent need to access NPS applications (such as FPPS, FMSS, PMIS, etc.) may use the VPN to get access to the internet. Again, VPN users will not be able to send/receive e-mail using Lotus Notes during the time the Lotus Notes servers are down.
Mon. June 21: (start of business)
- New phones and new phone numbers are operational at the new building.
- All local network and email servers are planned to be online and operational at the Riverfront building.
Miscellaneous:
- Telephones will be operational at 1709 Jackson until June 30 (402-221-xxx). After June 18, all phones at 1709 Jackson St will not be answered, the recording will provide callers with new phone numbers. New phones will be in service in the new building June 21. The new phone numbers are available from our website at: http://midwest.nps.gov/office/phone/mwro_601riverfront.cfm
(Print this list now -- you won't be able to get this list from midwest.nps.gov while the move is taking place.)
[Submitted by Frank Palombo, Frank_Palombo@nps.gov, (402) 221-4851/(402) 661-1618] More Information...
National Interagency Fire Center
Firefighting Agencies to Increase Aerial Resources for Wildland Fire Operations
In mid-May, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior at the National Interagency Fire Center announced that they were terminating the contract for 33 large air tankers used annually for wildland firefighting due to concerns over the airworthiness of the aircraft and public safety.
Last week, NIFC issued a news release stating that the agencies will acquire more than 100 additional aircraft to aid in this year's wildland fire season.
NIFC will contract with private companies for up to 36 single engine airtankers (SEATS), 26 Type 1 (heavy) helicopters, 45 Type II (medium) helicopters and two CL 215 airtankers. In addition, eight U.S. military C-130 aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System are available. The additional aviation assets will cost approximately $66 million.
For the full release and additional details, click on "More Information" below.
More Information...
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Padre Island National Seashore (TX)
Three GS-5/7/9 Ranger Positions
The park is currently advertising to fill three permanent GS-5/7/9 park ranger positions in its Resource and Visitor Protection Division. These three positions will be filled before the end of the fiscal year. This South Texas border park fronts 68 miles of pristine coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. The park is expanding its protection program to address a wide variety of rapidly evolving issues, including poaching, commercial fishing, wildland fire, border issues involving significant drug and undocumented alien smuggling, and homeland security responsibilities. Enforcement activities are conducted by vehicle, boat and aircraft and often involve coordination with other agencies, such as U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, DEA, FBI, Texas Parks & Wildlife and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The park is looking for motivated individuals who function well in a team environment, but who are also capable of working independently. Fluency in a foreign language, particularly Spanish, would be beneficial, but is not a necessity. Park rangers must maintain certification as EMTs, boat operators and wildland firefighters (Red Card). The park has issued a merit promotion announcement, as well as an all sources announcement for these positions, which means that people who are currently without career status can apply. The announcement closes on June 21st and can be found at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/. For further information contact the Chief Ranger's Office at (361) 949-8173 X 237.
[Submitted by Randy Larson, Chief Ranger]
Pacific West Region
GS-2101-12 Aviation Management and Safety Specialist
Pacific West Region: Detail/Temporary Promotion Opportunity not to exceed 120 days. Applicants meeting the qualification and time in grade requirements will be considered for temporary promotion.
Position: Aviation Management and Safety Specialist GS-2101-12.
Location: Pacific West Regional Office, Ranger Division, Duty Station - Vancouver, Washington or Oakland, California. The selectee may also work from current duty station if assigned to a park or office within the Pacific West Region.
Duties: The detailer will serve as the Aviation and Safety Specialist for the Pacific West Region. The position provides direct support and technical expertise to all National Park Service units in the region. The position coordinates between the National Aviation Program Manager and the Office of Aircraft Services in areas of aviation safety, training, operation and program development. The position supports all field aviation activities including those involving fire management, administrative uses, search and rescue, law enforcement and resources management. The position has a strong emphasis on aviation safety and accident prevention. Extensive travel, frequently on short notice and on weekends during fire or other emergencies, is a requirement of the position. Schedules during the field season are unpredictable and change with little notice. This requires a high level of adaptability. Flight activities may involve high risk missions.
How to apply: Interested individuals (permanent NPS employees) must submit a letter of interest or brief resume along with a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), postmarked no later than June 22, 2004. This information must be sent through regular mail (no government envelopes/postage) to: Teresa Wright, Human Resources Specialist, National Park Service, Pacific West Region, 909 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98021.
CONTACT INFO: Teresa Wright, Human Resources Specialist, teresa_wright@nps.gov
[Submitted by Teresa Wright]
Alaska Region
GS-0341-11 Administrative Officer
Dates: 06/08/2004 - 06/29/2004
Wonderful and interesting opportunity for applicants and dual career couples! There is an opening for a GS-11, Administrative Officer, opened- June 8, 2004 and closing, June 29, 2004.
Where: Klondike Goldrush National Historical Park, Skagway, Alaska. Skagway is located 90 air miles northwest of Juneau, Alaska, Southeast Alaska Region Area. This is a year-round seaport along a beautiful network of fjords. The city is a major cruise ship destination between May and September. Skagway has excellent transportation connections and the town can be reached by road (Klondike Highway), small aircraft and the Alaska State Ferry System.
For further information: www.usajobs.opm.gov or for additional information about the park, go to www.nps.gov/klgo/home.htm.
Contact: Christine Gutierrez/Diana Doan
National Park Service — Alaska Region
Human Resources Team
907-644-3340/907-644-3338
[Submitted by Christine Gutierrez/Diana Doan, 907-644-3340/907-644-3338] 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.