INCIDENTS

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Servicewide
Follow-up on Fourth of July Events

Two more reports have been received of significant events that took place on the Fourth of July:

Fort Necessity NB — The park hosted a four-day special event from July 1st through July 4th to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Colonel George Washington's battle at the "Great Meadows," the first engagement of what would become the French and Indian War. The event, named "Operation War for Empire," was managed under ICS and drew upon state and local agencies, numerous cooperator organizations, volunteers, and NPS personnel from ten other parks throughout the Northeast Region. The event kicked off on the evening of July 1st with a concert in the Great Meadows performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony which was cosponsored by the NPS and the National Road Heritage Corridor. Michele Ridge, wife of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, was the hostess for the concert. Other special guests during the concert included NPS Deputy Director Don Murphy, Associate Regional Director Chrysandra Walter, and Executive Director of Western Pennsylvania Parks Joanne Hanley. The concert was attended by nearly 2,000 visitors. Events offered on July 2nd included a French and Indian War "scholar's panel," artists in residence, 18th Century cultural demonstrators, a "Grand Encampment" where visitors experienced living conditions of 18th Century soldiers, the premier showing of a 9-minute film entitled "George Washington Remembers," and an exhibit of George Washington's original hand-written manuscripts reflecting on the French and Indian War. July 3rd and 4th events culminated with an hour-long tactical demonstration each day at the fort which involved more than 200 British, French, and American Indian "men under arms." Memorial services were held in the meadow immediately after each tactical demonstration to honor those who fought and died there in 1754. Overall, the four-day event was attended by approximately 6,000 visitors. There were no significant incidents throughout the event, although several medical emergencies occurred on July 3rd due primarily to heat and humidity, with a total of three ambulance transports being necessary. Chief ranger Dan Watson served as incident commander.

Fort Vancouver NHS — On July 4th, Vancouver's 42nd annual Fourth of July celebration drew a reported 70,000+ visitors to the grounds of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Sponsored by Celebrate Freedom and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust, the day-long event began with food and craft vendors and an entertainment stage with over ten hours of live music, culminating in a 30-minute fireworks display billed as the "largest fireworks display west of the Mississippi." Fort Vancouver NHS falls within the footprint of this event and is the preferred viewing area for the entertainment stage and the fireworks display. Park staff and over 35 Volunteers-In-Parks led a plethora of activities, from living history programs inside the stockade to staffing at the park visitor center at the event's core. The event was managed under a unified command with Vancouver PD as the lead agency, with ranger Bill DeBerry and chief ranger Greg Shine as local NPS liaisons and a SET team (rangers Kevin Hendricks, Loren Fazio, Greg Lawler, Jon Liakos, John Taylor, and Lorant Veress) serving as the on-site law enforcement contingent. The park again arranged a letter of authorization for "special police" deputation designation for the Vancouver PD officers working the event. The local NBC-TV affiliate (Portland television station KGW-TV) broadcast the event live from the park to residents of the Pacific Northwest. Television and newspapers noted that the exceptionally sunny and clear weather and mid-70-degree temperatures helped make the park an ideal celebration location for residents of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. As evidence of event staff and event attendees working together to keep the safety and security of visitors and resources a top priority, Incident command reported only a few minor incidents all day.[Submitted by Chief Rangers Office, FONE; Greg Shine, Chief Ranger, FOVA]

Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve (AK)
Missing Boaters Found

On July 2nd, C.S., a resident of Eagle, Alaska, and two children visiting from Logan, Utah, departed Eagle at 10:30 a.m. in C.S.'s flat-bottom boat to check her subsistence fish net.  This net was placed in the Yukon River approximately six miles downriver from Eagle, and C.S. was expected to return around noon. When she and the children failed to return, local residents started a search by private boat and airplane. By early evening, they had still not been located. Due to heavy smoke caused by several local wildfires and the lack of any fixed wing aircraft to fly into this area, Alaska state troopers asked that rangers from Yukon-Charley Rivers conduct a search. Park staff put two boats on the Yukon River and started to search from Eagle through the park. They were assisted by a contract helicopter crew that was in Eagle to monitor fires. At approximately 10:30 p.m., C.S. and the children were located by the helicopter crew at the base of Kathul Mountain, approximately 68 miles downriver from Eagle and inside the boundaries of Yukon-Charley Rivers NP.  All three were in good condition and were transported back to Eagle on the helicopter.
[Submitted by Carl Stapler, Park Ranger]

Yosemite National Park (CA)
Fatal Fall Near Half Dome

Park dispatch received a 911 cell phone transfer from the California Highway Patrol on the afternoon of June 23rd. The caller reported that he was on the shoulder of Half Dome and that he'd been told by other hikers that someone had fallen off the top of Half Dome. Intern Mike Van Pelt from the Little Yosemite Valley backcountry station immediately started hiking up the Half Dome Trail. While on the trail, Van Pelt received additional reports of a man on the shoulder of Half Dome suffering from shortness of breath and chest pain. When Van Pelt reached the shoulder, park visitors directed him to the body of 48-year old D.A.C. of Saratoga, California, at the base of the rock. Witnesses said that D.A.C. had been hiking down from Half Dome and was on the steps cut into the rock below the cables when he complained of chest pain and shortness of breath and asked passing hikers to get him help. Sometime after asking for assistance D.A.C. fell, unwitnessed, from the steps. Others saw him slide and tumble approximately 300 feet down steep granite slabs. The park's contract helicopter landed ranger/medics Dave Horne, Loren Fazio, and Keith Lober near the scene and they confirmed that D.A.C. had no signs of life. Later that afternoon, D.A.C.'s body was evacuated by long line under the helicopter to the Ahwahnee Meadow in Yosemite Valley.
[Submitted by Jack Hoeflich, IC]

FIRE MANAGEMENT

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NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Thursday, July 15, 2004

Preparedness Level 3

Initial attack on Wednesday was heavy in southern California, moderate in the Great Basin and Rockies, and light elsewhere. Four of the 218 new fires became large fires; three others were contained.

Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Warnings and Watches

No warnings or watches have been issued for today.

NPS Fires

For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news

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National/State Team Commitments

Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Changes in the status of a fire (type of team, change from a fire to a complex, etc.) are also noted in boldface.

Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name.

State	Agency	Team	IC	Fire and Location	7/14	7/15	% Con	Est Con
CA	State	1	Gelobter	Pine Fire, Los Angeles County	4,506	7,014	49	UNK
AK	State	1	Hart	Boundary Fire, Fairbanks Area	366,150	379,450	15	UNK
CA	State	1	Kerrigan *	Peterson Fire, Fresno-Kings Unit	100	73	100	CND
AK	State	2	Chrisman	Central Complex, Tok Area Forestry	70,000	100,000	NR	UNK
AK	State	2	Kurth	Taylor Complex, Tok Area Forestry	742,093	751,755	NR	8/1
WA	USFS	2	Johnson **	Pot Peak Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF	9,175	10,700	65	UNK
CA	State	2	McCormick	Verbenia Fire, Riverside Unit	3,690	3,690	70	7/17
AZ	USFS	2	Philbin	Willow Fire, Tonto NF	119,500	119,500	95	7/16
NV	USFS	2	Scheuerman #	Waterfall Fire, Humboldt-Toiyabe NF	---	2,000	0	UNK
ID	USFS	2	Suwyn	Dollar Fire, Boise NF	---	250	0	UNK
AZ	USFS	2	Winchester	Nuttall Complex, Coronado NF	29,400	29,400	80	7/19
AK	BLM	FU	Bird	Solstice Complex, Upper Yukon Zone	404,131	502,951	5	UNK
AK	BLM	FU	Cones	Eagle Complex, Upper Yukon Zone	475,534	503,369	16	UNK
CO	BLM	FU	Weldon	Oil Springs Fire, White River Field Office	760	790	N/A	N/A

* CDF Type 1 IMT
** Washington Interagency IMT
# Martin's Type 1 IMT has been ordered.

National Resource Commitments

Day	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu
Date	7/9	710	7/11	7/12	7/13	7/14	7/15
Crews	178	180	166	147	211	237	274
Engines	240	200	190	231	435	497	459
Helicopters	79	78	71	81	94	102	114
Air Tankers	0	0	0	0	2	2	5
Overhead	1,766	1,783	1,732	1,748	1,838	1,932	1,901

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 NPS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) and on park fires can be found at:

FAM — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news

PARKS AND PEOPLE

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Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Bill Holda To Retire

After 27 years of dedicated service, Bill Holda is retiring from the NPS. Park coworkers and friends will wish Bill a fond farewell at a celebration BBQ and potluck on Friday, July 23rd,, at 6 p.m. in Grand Teton National Park at the Moose Ball Field behind the Moose Visitor Center. Burgers, hot dogs, drinks and dessert will be provided; please bring a side dish or salad to share.

Bill Holda's NPS career began in 1976 as a seasonal park ranger at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, where he later also obtained his permanent status. In 1980, he moved to Blue Ridge Parkway as an area ranger, serving in both the Asheville, North Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia units. In 1986, Holda accepted a supervisory park ranger position at Crater Lake NP.

For the past 18 years, Bill has been an integral part of the Grand Teton NP ranger division. He began as a supervisory park ranger for the Buffalo Fork Subdistrict in 1987 and later served as subdistrict ranger for the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. He was promoted to Law Enforcement Specialist and recently served as the Acting Chief Ranger for Grand Teton.

In addition to his law enforcement duties, for the past nine years Holda has been a pro-active chairman of the park's safety, health and environmental awareness committee, spearheading numerous projects that benefitted Grand Teton's safety program. He also chaired the EEO committee for two years.

Bill retirement coincides with his wife Cyndy's acceptance of an executive assistant position for the superintendent at Cape Hatteras NS. The Holdas will live in Manns Harbor, North Carolina, where Bill hopes to improve his golf game while Cyndy continues working for the NPS.

If you have memories, pictures or stories you wish to share with Bill and Cyndy Holda, please send them to the Public Affairs Office at Grand Teton NP, P.O. Box 170, Moose, WY 83012 or e-mail to jackie_skaggs@nps.gov. Questions about the celebration BBQ? Please call 307- 739-3393.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Specialist]

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site (MT)
GS-025-11 Supervisory Park Ranger - Chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resources

Dates: 07/09/2004 - 07/30/2004

Announcement IMDE-04-52  Open government wide 7/9-7/30

Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS is one of the nation's best preserved cattle ranches.  The incumbent manages a complex division combining cultural resources, interpretation and education services. Supervises a GS-11 museum curator and two GS-9 park ranger interpreters, who in turn supervise a GS-7 musem technician and 3-5 seasonals.  Formulates and tracks budget; prepares, submits, and administers SEPAS projects, participating as a member of the park leadership team.   Serves a GPRA coordinator, though this may change after completion of an upcoming management analysis..  Directs a comprehensive outreach program encompassing curriculum based education, publications and exhibits, a living history and events oriented VIP program, cooperating assocation operations and park website.  Provides oversight for cultural resources, including developing plans advancing historic research and cultural landscape preservation objectives. Through division staff, maintains park security system and protection agreements with local law enforcement authorities.  Represents park and agency on city, county, and state tourism committeesd and working groups.

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is located 1/4 mile north of Deer Lodge, Montana.  Complete services are available.  The climate is very dry with moderate summers and cold winters.  No government housing, however, a variety of rentals and property for sale is available in Deer Lodge.
[Submitted by Anita Dore, anita_dore@nps.gov, (406) 846-2070 ext 222]

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.