NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, May 12, 2008
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INCIDENTS
Natchez Trace Parkway
Tornadoes Sweep Across Portions Of Park
Around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 8th, a severe storm that generated several tornadoes swept across a segment of the park in northeast Mississippi and northwest Alabama. In Tupelo, headquarters employees and visitors took refuge in the basement of the administrative building as the tornadoes passed overhead. Parkway facilities were spared, but nearby shopping centers, homes and other buildings received moderate damage. The parkway was temporarily closed near milepost 282 when large trees were felled by high winds. Fire management saw crews responded and cleared the road within a short time. Due to damage in the local community, all traffic, including commercial traffic, was temporarily rerouted from damaged areas onto the parkway. One park employee received a minor injury when the store he was in received a direct hit. [Allen Etheridge, Chief Ranger]
Indiana Dunes NL
Two Rangers Assaulted In Campground Confrontation
On the afternoon of May 3rd, rangers Todd Papesh and Jennifer Jackson contacted a man in the Dunewood Campground regarding an alcohol violation. During the contact, the man assaulted both rangers and was taken into custody. He is currently being held by the U.S. Marshals Service in Hammond, Indiana. Multiple charges are pending. The rangers are recovering from their injuries. In the interests of preserving the integrity of the case against the suspect, the U.S. Attorney's Office has asked that the information released in this case be restricted. Once legal proceedings are further along, a follow-up report will be made available. The rangers and the park are doing well and would like to thank all those who have expressed concern and support. [Mike Bremer, Chief Ranger]
Mount Rainier NP
Climbing Rangers Conduct Two Alpine SAR's
During the early part of last week, climbing rangers made two upper mountain rescues. On the morning of Sunday, May 4th, three climbers left Camp Muir, following a gentle downhill traverse to reach the base of the Wilson Headwall, About ten minutes out from the camp, they stopped to scout and evaluate the need for roping up prior to entering a known crevasse area. While stopped, one of the climbers fell through the snow into a crevasse to a depth of approximately 120 feet. The climbers were able to put out a distress radio call via the park frequency. Climbing ranger Arlington Ashby responded within 15 minutes of the call from Camp Muir and assessed the situation. Climbing rangers Thomas Payne and Joe Franklin soon arrived from Camp Muir to assist in the rescue, with Payne assuming the role as team lead. The stranded climber was wedged headfirst deep in the crevasse, giving responders only two feet of vertical space in which to maneuver. After removing his pack by cutting the straps, they were able to haul him out of the crevasse. “The position of the climber, stranded headfirst at a very narrow point in the crevasse, combined with his hypothermic condition, made time a critical issue and a quick crevasse rescue imperative,” said incident commander David Gottlieb. Due to these factors, the climber was removed from the crevasse, placed on a backboard, then taken to Camp Muir. A Bell Jet Ranger helicopter was placed on standby to fly him out once the weather cleared. During this time, rangers worked with the Northwest Helicopters pilot to reconfigure the Jet Ranger to carry a litter. Although the climber fell 120 feet, he suffered only superficial wounds. That same day, two climbers left Paradise at 9:00 p.m. with the intention of doing a single push summit climb and skiing back down the mountain via Fuhrers Thumb. On Monday afternoon, the park received a 911 call from one of the climbers, reporting that he'd become separated from his partner and lost in a whiteout somewhere on the summit. That evening, his partner skied down to Paradise. On Tuesday morning, the park brought in a Hughes 500 helicopter operated by Whirlwind Helicopters and organized a two-person observation team. A break in the weather permitted the observation flight around mid-day, during which the observers located the climber on the summit. The helicopter was found to be too heavy to take on another passenger at 14,000+ feet, so the pilot returned to the Kautz Helibase to drop off one of the rangers. During the observation flight, the pilot exceeded the aircrafts' capabilities, causing it to overheat. The climber eventually tired of waiting for the helicopter to return and skied down to Paradise. There were no injuries or accidents due to the overheating of the aircraft. Said Gottlieb, who was also IC for the second incident: “It is our responsibility to respond to requests for assistance proactively; a delayed response costs lives here.” He went on to say that he was pleased with the outcome of both SARs, as there were no employee injuries, the damaged helicopter ascended safely before anyone was hurt or anything bad happened, and neither of the climbers was seriously injured. [Patti Wold, Information Officer]
Gateway NRA
Suspicious Fire Burns Down Historic Battery Lookout
A fisherman advised rangers in the park's Sandy Hook Unit of a fire at Battery Potter in Fort Hancock just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7th. The battery is a historic structure constructed of cement and is fireproof, but it has six lookouts, or spotters, that were constructed largely of wood in 1907. One of these spotters and its contents were lost in the fire, which was extinguished by the park's fire brigade with assistance from Highlands FD. The circumstances of the fire are suspicious (there are no electrical or other ignition sources in the spotters) and an investigation is underway. The Monmouth County fire marshal is assisting. The battery was reopened for guided tours on Thursday. [Peter Tortorell]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories (among others) can be read on InsideNPS:
Servicewide - The National Park Service joined the first-ever National Train Day this past Saturday, with wide-ranging events at a number of national parks across the country and at Amtrak stations in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6494" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6494
Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6495" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6495
Intermountain Region - Civil engineer Alan Bengtson, who is based in Intermountain Region's Santa Fe Office, has announced his retirement, effective June 3rd, after more than 30 years of service.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1921" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=1921
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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Mount Rainier National Park InsideNPS Report
Mount Rainier National Park
55210 238th Ave. East
Ashford, WA 98304
360 569-2211 phone
360-569-2187 fax
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Climbing Rangers Successfully Respond to Two Alpine SARs