Mammoth Cave National Park (KY)
Maintenance Worker Silas Craine Killed in Accident
The park lost another employee last Friday in a four fatality
accident on U.S. Highway 31E north of Glasgow, Kentucky. S."J.R."C.
Jr., of Cave City, 53, a long-term maintenance worker, was among
the victims. Also killed in the accident were S.C.'s brother E.C., 47,
J.B., and D.J. J.B. was driving a car when
he attempted to pass several cars and struck E.S., 49, head-on.
E.S. was hospitalized in Louisville. S.C. and E.C. are survived by a
brother, J.J.C., also a maintenance worker at Mammoth Cave, and
by other family members. Superintendent Ron Switzer adds this note:
"This is the third employee we have lost in the last few weeks and the
grief among our staff is considerable. We are all just trying to cope
with things right now."
[Submitted by Ron Switzer,
Superintendent]
Castillo De San Marcos National Monument (FL)
Passing of Dean Garrison
On the morning of Saturday, June 19th, park facility manager Dean Garrison was found to have passed away during the previous night. The cause of death is not yet known.
There will be a memorial service on Wednesday, June 23rd, at
p.m.at the Palm Coast Funeral Home, 220
Palm Coast Parkway SW, in Palm Coast, Florida (386-449-1100).
[Submitted by Gordon Wilson]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Concession Employee Injured by Bear
A park employee was mauled by two grizzly bears while hiking alone in
the backcountry on the eastern portion of the Mary Mountain Trail on the
northern end of Hayden Valley between Canyon and Lake just before
9 p.m.on June 18th. The 20-year old
Xanterra Parks and Resorts employee was hiking and bird-watching off the
established trail when he encountered two adult grizzly bears (sex
unknown) about 30 yards away. The two bears charged, so he immediately
dropped to the ground and remained still. The bears swatted and bit him
on his back and rolled him over, then left the area. He remained still
until he was sure the bears were no longer present, then hiked the
half-mile back to the trailhead and his vehicle. He was able to flag
down a passing motorist, who agreed to transport him in his own vehicle
to the Canyon area. While driving north towards Canyon, they encountered
a ranger managing traffic alongside the road where a number of visitors
were watching elk. The ranger provided emergency medical treatment at
the location and had the victim transported by park ambulance to the
Lake Clinic for additional medical treatment. He was stabilized and
later transported by ambulance to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical
Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, for further evaluation and treatment. His
injuries included minor bruises and lacerations and puncture wounds to
his back. The Mary Mountain Trail, which was temporarily closed to all
hiking until a further investigation could be done, has since reopened
with strong bear warnings posted along the eastern portion of the Mary
Mountain Trail.
[Submitted by Cheryl Matthews, Public Affairs
Specialist]
Mount Rainier National Park (WA)
One Climber Killed, Second Missing in Mountain Accident
On Tuesday, June 15th, family members reported that climbers L.C.
and A.V. were overdue from an ascent of the highly
technical Liberty Ridge route on Mount Rainier. The pair had undertaken
the ascent on the previous weekend. A search was begun, and a motionless
person was spotted in the snow west of the ridge at 9,000 feet during a
reconnaissance flight on Thursday. That evening, a team of climbing
rangers was flown to the mountain and inserted onto lower Curtis Ridge.
On Friday morning, the rangers recovered L.C.'s body. Rangers Chris
Olson, Glenn Kessler, Stoney Richards and Matt Hendrickson then
conducted an intensive ground search of the area, using avalanche
transceivers and probes. They recovered two backpacks and a climbing
rope, but found no sign of A.V., who is a seasonal wildland
firefighter at North Cascades NP. Efforts to find him continue. L.C.,
29, of Stevensville, Montana, was a graduate student at the University
of Montana with a master's in applied mathematics and taught alpine and
mountaineering skills. He leaves his parents, wife, and four-and-a-half
year old son. A.V., 29, is a graduate of Evergreen State College,
with a bachelor's degree in botany. He just began his third season of
employment at North Cascades, where he served as a fire effects monitor.
Last year the pair attempted to climb Disappointment Clever on Mount
Rainier with a friend, but turned around due to poor weather conditions
that made the route unsafe. Meanwhile, rangers were also involved in the
rescue of a second, unrelated climbing party from Thumb Rock on the
Liberty Ridge route. Although uninjured, A.H., 44, of Fort
McMurrey Canada, and B.P., 48, of Connecticut, reported that they
were in distress and needed assistance in descending the route. Mike
Gauthier is IC on this incident.
[Submitted by Patti Wold,
Information Officer]
Buffalo National River (AR)
Accident Involves Two Pickups and Seven Motorcycles
On the afternoon of June 13th, rangers and maintenance personnel
responded to a motor vehicle accident involving seven motorcycles and
two pickup trucks on Arkansas State Highway 14. When rangers
arrived on scene, they found that one motorcyclist was pinned under a
Chevrolet pickup truck, that a second was embedded in the windshield of
a Ford pickup truck, and that a third had suffered a broken ankle.
Four more motorcyclists laid down their motorcycles to avoid the
accident and received only minor injuries. The seven victims were
triaged by rangers. The most seriously injured motorcyclist was
the one who was entrapped under the pickup. He had a compromised airway
and was turning blue because his clothing was snagged on the
undercarriage of the truck. Ranger Jeff West cut the clothing from his
throat, which eased his breathing difficulties. Ranger April Wood
arrived with a floor jack and the rear axle was raised 6 inches to free
him. He was flown to a trauma center in Springfield and is listed in
critical condition. The man who struck the windshield of the Ford was
taken by ambulance to Baxter Regional Medical Center and is also in
critical condition. The cyclist with the broken ankle was also taken to
that hospital. Traffic on Highway 14 was blocked for the better part of
two hours. Numerous agencies assisted. Assisting West and Wood from the
park were ranger Angela Boyers and maintenance employee Doug
McClenethan. Field training ranger Tracy Whitaker and FLETC trainee
Patrick Gagnon assisted the Arkansas State Police with the accident
investigation.
[Submitted by Robert Maguire]
Blue Ridge Parkway
Successful Intervention in Attempted Suicide
The park received a report of a man attempting suicide at Humpback
Rocks on Sunday, June 13th. Augusta County deputies were first on scene
and were able to track him to his location at the top of a cliff. Prior
to contacting him, they learned that he'd been involved in a similar
incident two years previously in Denton, North Carolina. On that
occasion, he'd barricaded himself in his home with numerous weapons and
had held off a SWAT team for some time before surrendering. When the
deputies reached him, they found that he was armed with a knife and
threatening to kill anyone who came close to him. During this initial
contact, he repeatedly stabbed himself in the leg. With assistance from
the man's brother, deputies were able to convince him to move away from
the cliff and come back down to the hiking trail. Deputies and ranger
Marc Cyr lay in wait for him as he came down and were able to stun him
with a taser and take him into custody. He was taken to Augusta Medical
Center, Other agencies providing assistance included Shenandoah NP,
Dooms FD, and Waynesboro Rescue.
[Submitted by Chief Ranger's
Office]
Glacier National Park
Visitor Survives Fall and Submersion in Reynolds Creek
A.A., 24, of Orlando, Florida, survived a fall and cold
water immersion in Reynolds Creek on June 16th after his companion,
other park visitors and nearly a dozen park personnel came to his
rescue. A.A. and Valerie Sudlow were hiking near Deadwood Falls on
the Gunsight Lake Trail, approximately a mile from the trailhead on the
Going-to-the-Sun, when A.A. climbed some rocks above the falls. He
slipped and fell into the pool and was reportedly submerged underwater
for several minutes. Sudlow ran down to the pool below the falls and
found A.A. unconscious and not breathing. She reportedly pulled him
from the water and administered CPR for approximately five minutes
before he began breathing on his own. Don Scharfe, owner of Rocky
Mountain Outfitters in Kalispell, came upon the scene with several
climbing companions and assisted by starting a small fire and treating
A.A. for hypothermia. NPS personnel were notified shortly thereafter
and responded. Park interpretive naturalists and trail crew members
assisted rangers by providing clothing to warm A.A. and later
carrying him to the trailhead via litter. An air ambulance was requested
and landed at the Jackson Glacier overlook pullout on Going-to-the Sun
Highway. Flight nurses further stabilized A.A. while the helicopter
flew to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he was given additional
medical care.
[Submitted by Amy Vanderbilt, Public Affairs
Specialist]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Climber Rescued from Garnet Canyon
Rangers and the park's contract helicopter rescued an injured climber
from Garnet Canyon on Saturday afternoon, June 19th. B.M., a
35-year-old from New York City, sustained multiple injuries when he lost
control while glissading on a snowfield and tumbled approximately 150 to
200 feet over snow and rock. B.M. was a member of a guided party led
by the Jackson Hole Mountain Guides; the group was descending from the
guide service's high camp and was west of Spalding Falls, near the level
of the Petzoldt Caves (10,100 feet), when B.M. fell around
11 a.m.B.M. was carrying an ice axe, but was
not wearing a helmet at the time. Guide Eddie Horney descended to a
place where cell phone service was available and notified his office of
the accident. Jackson Hole Mountain Guide staff relayed the message to
Teton Interagency Dispatch at 11:45
a.m.Rangers assessed the situation and decided to coordinate a rescue
with the assistance of the park's contract helicopter. Five rangers were
flown to the helicopter landing zone in the Garnet Canyon Meadows. The
rangers ascended about 600 feet to B.M., assessed his condition,
stabilized him for transport, and manually lowered him to the Garnet
Meadows in an evacuation litter, using a series of snow anchors and
belayed lowerings. B.M. incurred lacerations to his head and was
experiencing pain in his abdomen, right shoulder, left shoulder and
ribs. After rangers administered emergency medical assistance, B.M.
was flown by helicopter to Lupine Meadows, then transported by ambulance
to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson for further treatment. This
marks the third major search and rescue in Grand Teton National Park
this year.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs
Specialist]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Fatal Accident on Highway 89
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 17th, M.P., 48, of
Jackson, was heading south on Highway 26/89/191 when he lost control of
his 1994 Chevy truck. The tires on the passenger side of the vehicle
drifted off the edge of the pavement; when M.P. tried to turn back onto
the highway, he evidently overcorrected, causing the truck to flip over
once and come to rest on its side. At the time of the accident, M.P.
and coworker Stanley Wood, 46, of Wilson, Wyoming, were returning to
Jackson in a company truck from a job site at the northern end of the
valley. The two men work for Chimney Sweeps of Jackson Hole. Neither
M.P. nor Wood was wearing a seatbelt and both men were thrown from the
truck. The park was notified, and rangers immediately responded. When
they arrived, they determined that M.P. had expired. Wood survived and
was found sitting on the side of the road. He was taken to St. Johns
Medical Center in Jackson for treatment of his injuries and later flown
to Eastern Idaho Medical Center in Idaho Falls for additional treatment.
Rangers closed the highway to all traffic between Moose junction and
Moran junction to provide safe access for emergency vehicles and
emergency medical personnel responding to the accident. The road
remained closed for four hours so that rangers could conduct an
investigation of the accident scene and remove the truck.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report — Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Due to travel obligations and timing issues, the summaries of the NIFC report that normally appear in InsideNPS will not appear again until next Monday. The following sites provide detailed information on the national situation:
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
Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve (AK)
Nation River - ref#237, A4W6 (Wildland Fire Use)
Several thousand lightning strikes have occurred in the central and northern portions of Alaska during the past few days and ignited this and many other wildland fires. (full report)
Due to consistent,very warm weather at Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, the Nation River fire continues to be very active.
Acreage: 7,624 acres
Estimated containment date: October 1, 2004[Submitted by Marsha Henderson, Marsha_Henderson@nps.gov, 907-455-0650]
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
GS-025 12/13 SAR & EMS Program Manager
An announcement has been issued for the Branch Chief for Emergency Services under the Associate Director, Resource and Visitor Protection. The announcement number is NPS-WASO-04-034 and it closes on July 7th. Responsibilities include oversight of emergency operations, incident management teams, emergency medical services and search and rescue. For a copy of the announcement, click on "More Information" below.
[Submitted by Don Coelho, Chief, Law Enforcement & Emergency Services] More Information...
Intermountain Region
GS-401-13/14 Regional Fire and Aviation Management Officer
The region is advertising for a GS-401-13/14 regional fire management officer under announcement IMDE-04-43. The announcement opened on June 16th and closes on July 7th. The person in this position serves as the professional authority for Intermountain Region's fire and aviation programs, working within the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection for the regional chief ranger. He/she provides technical, scientific, and professional program advice, information and other support to the regional director and the superintendents and fire management officers of the 89 parks in Intermountain Region. She/he also supervises the 13 permanent employees within the Branch of Fire and Aviation Management, and is responsible for general program oversight, coordination, implementation and facilitation of agency participation with five interagency geographic area coordination groups. Questions regarding this position or vacancy announcement can be directed to Kevin FitzGerald at 303-969-2641, Bryan Swift at 303-969-2449 or Valerie Marquez at 303-969-2601.
[Submitted by Kevin FitzGerald, Regional Chief Ranger]
Gulf Islands National Seashore (FL,MS)
GS-7/9 Protection Ranger
The park has an advertisement out for a GS-7/9 protection ranger. It's open to current career and career conditional employees within the Department of Interior and CTAP eligibles only. This position is located in the Mississippi District, with a duty station in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, which is on the Gulf near Biloxi. The ranger selected will be required to reside in government quarters on Ship Island and remain on the island during the work week, unless otherwise scheduled. Access to the mainland is by boat only. The announcement number for this position is GUIS 04-05 and can be viewed on USA Jobs. Interested applicants may also call the park's Personnel Jobline at 850-934-2601. The position opened June 16th and closes on June 30th.
[Submitted by Dennis Billups]
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.