NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Friday, November 21, 2008

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INCIDENTS

Blue Ridge Parkway

Life Saved During Stop At Sobriety Checkpoint

On Friday, November 14th, the park conducted a sobriety checkpoint near the Folk Art Center along the parkway. One of the vehicles stopped was a Dodge sedan with two people in it. The driver, a 19-year-old woman, produced her driver's license at the ranger's request; meanwhile, a second ranger who'd approached on the passenger side saw a baggy of marijuana in the car in plain view. When the rangers asked the driver to pull over to the side, she began to have a seizure and eventually went into full cardiac arrest. The rangers quickly removed her from the car and began CPR. An ambulance was dispatched to their location and arrived shortly thereafter. A heart monitor revealed that she was still in arrest, so CPR was continued and an AED was employed. The woman was revived, then suffered a second cardiac arrest, then was revived again. She was taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where she was monitored throughout the weekend. The case ranger interviewed her and attending physicians on Monday and learned that she was suffering from an underlying medical problem and that marijuana had been present in her system. No other drugs or alcohol were found in the car. [Tim Francis, Pisgah District Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. The internal, NPS-only version of InsideNPS can be found at: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index . The public version, called NPS Digest, can be found at: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/

WASO Office of Tourism - At a recent meeting of the Travel Industry Association of America, forecasts were made that project a decline in overall travel demand during the coming year.

WASO Park Facility Management Division - The Federal Highway Administration's National Scenic Byways program has announced that it will be accepting nominations for roads for possible designation as either a National Scenic Byway or an All-American Road. Nominations are due by December 17th.

Grand Canyon NP - Historic Hermit Road was reopened to the public in a ceremony last Saturday. A road rehabilitation project has been underway since last February with the aim of addressing safety and accessibility issues and preserving the road's historic integrity.

Fire and Aviation Management - Paul Broyles, the Service's program lead for operations at the Fire Management Program Center at NIFC in Boise, Idaho, is retiring at the end of the year after 38 years with the National Park Service.

Outer Banks Group - Dennis McGinnis was recently selected as the new facility manager for the Outer Banks Group, which includes Cape Hatteras, Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh. He came on board earlier this month.

Servicewide Training Calendar - A listing of upcoming training courses offered by the NPS and its partners across the nation. Added today are a number of Air National Guard-sponsored EMS courses around the country and a course on interdisciplinary resource protection and law in South Carolina.

Servicewide Events Calendar - Today's listing of upcoming NPS and NPS-related events across the nation. Added today are several events related to the Lincoln bicentennial, including commemorative events at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace and Lincoln Home and the grand opening of the David Wills House in Gettysburg, and a celebration of Martin Van Buren's 225th birthday at that park.

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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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