NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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INCIDENTS
Big Thicket NP
Update On Hurricane Ike Recovery Operations
Recovery and clean-up efforts continued in the park last week under the oversight of a Type 3 incident management time (Mike Bland, IC). The team was augmented late in the week by equipment operators and PTRC and Joshua Tree saw teams. Accomplishments included:
The reopening of the Beaumont and Village Creek Corridor Units.
Saw teams cleared the White Beach day use area, Village Creek Corridor Unit, Big Sandy trail, Davis cemetery, the area around the Lily house, the Big Sandy repeater tower area, the Holly Grove day use area and half of Birdwatchers' trail. At week's end, work was continuing in the Big Sandy Unit and Menard Creek Corridor Unit.
The Chickasaw NRA bucket truck and grade-all and crews continued to clear roads in the Big Sandy Creek Unit
The destroyed kiosk and hurricane debris were removed from the Edgewater day use area in the Beaumont Unit.
FMSS staff completed a preliminary damage assessment of the park's infrastructure and facilities.
Resource managers and rangers began making aerial damage assessments of the Neches River and of oil and gas facilities within the park, employing a plane provided by Big Bend.
Just under 50 people were committed to the incident as of last Friday. [Fulton Jeansonne and Leta Parker]
Big Thicket NP
Fuel Truck Crash Causes Oil Spill In Park
A fuel tanker truck crashed on a highway next to the Big Sandy Unit before dawn on Thursday, September 25th, killing the 51-year-old driver. The bulkheads that separated the gasoline from the diesel fuel in the tanker were ruptured in the crash and just over 3,500 gallons of the mixed fluid poured out of a broken hatch lid and into the park. The fuel ran downhill into a forested wetland area, where it killed vegetation and wildlife, including fish, amphibians, reptiles and other species. Resource management specialist Haigler “Dusty” Pate spent Thursday and Friday monitoring the cleanup, which was done by a private environmental company. The cost of the cleanup is estimated to be at least $300,000. The accident was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Big Thicket rangers assisted with the road closure and enforcement of the safety perimeter until the hazmat team determined that it was safe to reopen the road. The incident occurred while the Hurricane Ike Type III team was still in the process of clearing thousands of downed trees from roads, parking areas, trailheads and trails within the park. Work on the Beaver Slide trail only a few hundred yards from the crash site had to be postponed due to safety concerns. [Keith Flanery, District Ranger]
Lassen Volcanic NP
Critically Ill Visitor Evacuated From Lassen Peak Trail
On September 25th, rangers received a 911 call reporting that a 60-year-old visitor at around 9,500 feet on the Lassen Peak trail was experiencing chest pain and suffering from an altered level of consciousness. They responded immediately and summoned the assistance of a California Highway Patrol high-altitude helicopter with hoist capability. Intermittent cell phone calls from the party on the peak trail indicated that the man's condition was deteriorating. An advanced life support ranger and a litter team comprised of park firefighters began hiking to his location while the CHP helicopter attempted to insert a paramedic. Despite gusty winds, the helicopter crew was successful in its efforts. The ailing visitor was hoisted onto the skid of the hovering helicopter, then taken to a life-flight helicopter waiting in the peak parking lot and flown to a hospital for further care. Initial indications are that he suffered a pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition in which a blood clot blocks one of the arteries in the lungs. [Ron Martin, Ranger Operations Supervisor]
OTHER NEWS
Among the stories in today's edition are the following:
National Natural Landmarks Program - The votes have been counted and the winners named in the 2008 National Natural Landmark photo contest.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6919" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=6919
Fort Smith NHS - The popular television show, “America's Most Wanted,” filmed an episode at Fort Smith National Historic Site on September 26th.
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=6918" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=6918
DSC - Dr. Larry Van Horn will retire on September 30th after more than 30 years with Denver Service Center. Over those years, he has held different but related positions as an ethno-historian, cultural anthropologist, and cultural resource specialist.
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=6916" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=6916
Grand Canyon NP - Galen Howell, formerly with Fish and Wildlife but currently working for the National Park Service at Grand Canyon NP, has received the In-Flight Action Award for his handling of an in-flight emergency while in Alaska.
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=2077" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewcommunityarticle&type=PeopleNews&id=2077
NPS-LETC - The National Park Service Law Enforcement Training Center (NPS-LETC) is seeking interested candidates for a 60 to 90 day detail as its basic academy program manager. This is a GS-0025-12/13 supervisory park ranger position.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Jobs&id=3582" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Jobs&id=3582
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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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