Shenandoah National Park (VA)
Car Clout Arrests and Investigation
Over the weekend of September 24th, ranger Tony Lutz learned of four vehicle break-ins that had occurred in the park's North District. The crimes were perpetrated in such a manner that the victims were not aware of the thefts until after their departure from the park. A total of nine credit cards were stolen.
After a short investigation by Lutz, assisted by rangers from Boston NHP and Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP and numerous Northeast Region special agents, a Budget rental van and several suspects from Rhode Island were identified.
On Sunday, October 10th, Shenandoah ranger John Kinde came upon a Budget rental van in a secluded parking area in the park's South District. He contacted the occupants — C.B., 52, and his brother, M.B., 41 — and determined that they were among the Rhode Island suspects. The brothers are from Providence.
The Budlongs were arrested on violations of 18 USC 1029 (credit card fraud) and the Budget van was seized, pending the issuance of search warrants. The two men are currently being held without bond pending grand jury hearings in November.
An ongoing investigation, including execution of search warrants on
several vehicles and a residence in Virginia and Rhode Island, has
resulted in the recovery of a significant amount of evidence linking the
pair to the Shenandoah crimes and possibly to other vehicle break-ins
throughout the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, including NPS
areas, state parks and resorts. The total amount of the proceeds
identified in this series of crime exceeds $20,000 and continues to
grow.
Anyone having similar unsolved "car clout" types of cases
should contact special agent Christopher A. Smith (Christopher_A_Smith@nps.gov)
or special agent/case agent Tim Alley (Tim_Alley@nps.gov) via
email.[Submitted by Tim Alley, Special Agent]
Acadia National Park (ME)
Climber Drowns In Ocean Near Otter Cliffs
E.L., 21, of Hampden, Maine, drowned while attempting to retrieve a climbing shoe from the ocean below Otter Cliffs, a 30-foot granite wall that rises directly from the Atlantic. The cliffs are one of the most popular climbing destinations within the park, but can be extremely treacherous during stormy weather and high tides.
E.L. had been at the base of the cliff when surf from the high tide washed his gear our into the water. Although the gear was attached to his climbing rope, his shoe came off and started floating away.
E.L. entered the 49-degree water to retrieve it, only to be overpowered by both the cold water and high surf. After several attempts to climb back up onto the rocks, E.L. went under and did not resurface.
Ocean conditions precluded safe entry into the water until Tuesday. Main State Police divers then began searching for his body and found it two days later in about 18 feet of water, directly below the point where he'd entered the ocean.
Both E.L. and his climbing partner were from the Bangor, Maine, area and were attending college — E.L.n at Northeastern University and his partner at the University of Maine.[Submitted by Neal Labrie, Backcountry Supervisor]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Friday, October 22, 2004
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 Situation Report
The full NIFC Incident Management Situation Report for today can be obtained at http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf. NIFC's national fire news is at http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Risk Management Division
Assessment of Exposure to Workplace Hazards
Dates: 11/10/2004 - 11/10/2004
Times: 9:00 AM -12:00 PM EST or 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: TELNP Station Near You
An understanding of exposure to hazardous physical, chemical and biological agents in the workplace is essential today for making sound decisions about your employee's health.
This is an interactive television program implementation workshop for safety officers, supervisors and program managers. It will help you to implement an economical and effective strategy for assessing employee exposure to ensure their health and your park's occupational health program compliance.
Objectives:
1. Explain the principle of dose and its role in determining how safe or hazardous an occupational exposure might be.
2. List factors that can affect the dose an employee receives.
3. Define occupational exposure limit (OEL). Define six types of OELs, and describe their use.
4. Define exposure assessment.
5. List four methods for assessing worker exposures. Describe their use and limitations.
6. List personnel that are qualified to conduct OEA.
7. List two basic strategies for assessing occupational exposure.
8. Describe compliance monitoring and list at least six regulated agents and at least four regulated activities NPS workers are exposed to or participate in, for which there are specific exposure monitoring requirements.
9. Briefly describe a comprehensive exposure monitoring strategy and its implementation. Describe the steps for conducting comprehensive exposure assessments.
To register, log on to My Learning Manager http://mylearning.nps.gov. At the welcome page, enter "Understanding Exposure" in the search box, click on the Catalog Item, View Events, and Apply.
You can also click on Learning Categories, select Risk Management, Public Health and Safety (RSK), click on the Catalog Item, View Events, and Apply.
For new users, click on the Help button on the welcome screen. Password instructions are available as a Help Topic. Don't forget to edit your profile and select your supervisor after you log on."
[Submitted by CAPT David P Bleicher CIH, David_P_Bleicher@nps.gov, 202-513-7224]
Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
DOI Watch Office Details
The Department of Interior Watch Office has a continuing need for agency detailers to act as watch officers at the Main Interior Building in Washington.
These positions are open to ALL personnel from the National Park Service — law enforcement commissions are not required. Detailers work eight-hour shifts on 21-day cycles. There are three rotating shifts, beginning at 6 a.m., 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The Watch Office pays per diem, overtime and travel, but does not cover either base 8 or backfill.
This assignment will provide candidates with an opportunity to gain a broad exposure to DOI law enforcement and security responsibilities. The work requires critical thinking, the ability to establish priorities, writing and investigative skills and the ability to work independently.
Staff in this office compile and disseminate information and intelligence on incidents and security matters affecting Department of Interior lands and facilities nationwide. Summaries with information on law enforcement, homeland security and natural disasters are prepared and disseminated electronically daily and weekly.
Computer skills are helpful, but detailers will be trained to use Lotus Notes, Microsoft Access, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Please call the Emergency Incident Coordination Center at 540-999-3412 with the names of any employees you may have who would be available for future details.
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (TX)
Chief Ranger Bill Briggs To Retire
Chief Ranger William (Bill) J. Briggs will be retiring from Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument on November 27th.
Bill started his 31-year career as a seasonal lifeguard at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From there, he spent several summer seasons as a law enforcement ranger at Mesa Verde National Park and winter seasons as an LE ranger at Grand Canyon National Park.
Bill became permanent with the National Park Service by accepting a dispatcher position at Grand Canyon. He moved on to Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California, where he enjoyed horseback patrol and cliff rescues.
Bill was accepted into the intake program at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where he worked for eight years before transferring to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area as a subdistrict ranger. He next moved to Curecanti National Recreation Area in Colorado as a district ranger, then to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument in 1997, first as district ranger and then as chief ranger.
Bill was honored by the Department of the Interior in 1986 when he received their Valor Award for a difficult but successful rescue of an individual from the cliffs below the Hoover Dam.
"This has been a tremendous job, mainly because it involved things I love to do, including fire fighting, search and rescue, boating, scuba diving, hanging on ropes below helicopters and from cliffs," says Bill "Also, working in some of the finest, most pristine areas of our country has been pretty hard to beat. Then there have been the people I have had the pleasure to work with. There are none finer anywhere in the country, in any job. I count many of these people as my lifelong friends."
Upon his retirement to Amarillo, Texas, Bill will be dedicating more time to the Boy Scouts of America and traveling to see other NPS areas throughout the country.
His retirement party will be celebrated at the Ambassador Hotel in Amarillo, Texas, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on November 27th. RSVP for dinner by November 23rd by calling 806-857-3151. Cards, photos and remembrances would be appreciated.
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.