NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
NOTICE
Denali NP&P
Man Who Threatened To Kill Bus Passengers Sentenced In Court
On the morning of May 21st, park dispatch received a report that a man was threatening to execute passengers on a concession tour bus at the Wilderness Access Center (WAC). The WAC is the park hub for tour and shuttle buses and was experiencing a high volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic at the time. Ranger Michael O'Connor was first on scene and found a full tour bus parked there with many of the passengers moving about the bus rapidly. The bus driver told O'Connor that the man had run off the bus toward the entrance to the WAC. O'Connor contacted the man, subsequently identified as M.C., who he found sitting on a bench and immediately arrested him. M.C. continued threatening to kill people around him and said that the only way to stop him was for police to kill him. While being searched by ranger Scott Pariseau, M.C. became combative. Pariseau and O'Connor were able to control him by using knee strikes and control techniques. The whole episode was witnessed by hundreds of rather astonished park visitors. M.C. was charged with disorderly conduct and threatening federal officers. He remained in federal custody until his scheduled trial on July 23rd. M.C. pled guilty; he was credited with time served, placed on six months of supervised probation, and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. [Pete Armington, Chief Ranger]
Mount Rainier NP
Missing Wonderland Trail Hiker Found
On the afternoon of Thursday, July 23rd, a 17-year-old boy from New York disappeared while hiking with his family on a southwest section of the Wonderland Trail. The family hiked west from Longmire on the Wonderland as far as Pyramid Creek that morning, then began their return hike to Longmire, retracing their earlier route. The boy was last seen by his family at the Kautz Creek crossing, where he moved ahead of the group. A ground search was conducted on Thursday evening and resumed on Friday morning. When ground searchers were unable to locate the boy, a helicopter was called in to assist. He was spotted by the helicopter team in the Kautz Creek drainage near the point last seen just after 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon. He was air lifted to the Kautz helibase and was reunited with family members at Longmire. He reportedly attempted to shortcut on a social trial which took him north, further up the drainage and above the initial search area. A total of 29 park staff and a helicopter and crew from Northwest Helicopters were assigned to the incident. Laura Bellasalma was incident commander. [Patti Wold, PIO]
Yosemite NP
Two Visitors Nearly Drown At Emerald Pool
Park dispatch received numerous 911 calls reporting a near drowning at Emerald Pool along the Merced River early on the afternoon of July 20th. This area can only be reached via a steep, approximately two-mile hike from the Valley floor. The park fire/rescue helicopter was unavailable due to an out-of-park assignment. Fortunately, UC Merced wilderness leadership intern Andres Estrada happened to be on foot patrol in the area and provided the incident commander with an initial size-up within about 20 minutes. A 53-year-old man had attempted to swim across the swift and cold waters of the pool and had become unresponsive. Bystanders pulled him from the water and are credited with saving his life. The man reportedly suffered a two minute loss of consciousness and was revived via chest compressions and rescue breaths. Ranger/park medic Matt Stark was immediately dispatched from the Valley to render assistance and arrived on scene in just under an hour. While Stark was caring for and evacuating the man, a second near-drowning incident occurred at the pool. Litter teams ultimately carried both individuals out to the Valley. Ropes were used to belay the teams through about 200 feet of steep terrain along the trail. The first victim was flown via Air Med to Modesto for advanced medical care that evening; the second victim was cared for at Yosemite Medical Clinic. Approximately 20 rescuers were involved in the operation. Emerald Pool is closed to swimming and is so designated by signs and an information board notice. Ranger Jeff Webb was the incident commander. [Eric Gabriel, Valley District Ranger]
Yosemite NP
Body Of May Drowning Victim Recovered
On July 15th, the body of K.L., a German national, was recovered from the Merced River below Vernal Falls by YOSAR personnel. During a violent thunderstorm and downpour on May 18th, K.L. fell from the Mist Trail into the raging Merced River, which was at peak spring runoff. Witnesses said that she fell off the trail, slid down a steep wet rock wall, then clung to a boulder in the river before being washed downstream by the strong current. On July 14th, YODOGS, a volunteer search dog team group, alerted in one area along the river. Supported by additional searchers, staff were able to locate Lehman's partially submerged body, which was found wedged between a rock and a log in a swift water section of river approximately 150 yards downstream from the point where she was last seen. Two drooping high lines were used in the recovery operation - one for rescue ranger Aaron Smith and one for K.L.'s body. Park forestry personnel using tree climbing equipment established the anchor points for the high lines about 80 feet up cedar trees located on each side of the river. The Mist Trail along the Merced River was closed for approximately 40 minutes during the recovery. Sixteen technical rope rescue personnel were utilized in the operation. Ranger Jack Hoeflich was the incident commander. [Eric Gabriel, Valley District Ranger]
Cape Hatteras NS
Visitor From Ohio Drowns In Atlantic Ocean
Ranger Jeff Goad received a call from Dare County dispatch around 5 p.m. on July 24th advising that a man was caught in an ocean riptide about 75 feet off Hatteras Beach and in need of assistance. Local and county emergency service personnel responded along with rangers and attempted a rescue using a PWC. A swimmer onboard the PWC found the 43-year-old Ohio man floating face down in the ocean within minutes. He was brought back to shore and CPR was begun by county EMS personnel. Their efforts proved unavailing, though, and he was pronounced dead. [Paul Stevens, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS.
Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services - Over the course of a full week in late April, students and instructors assembled daily at the North Carolina State Forest Service's Crossnore Mountain Training Center for the fourteenth annual NPS Eastern high-angle rescue training course.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7970" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7970
Occupational Safety and Health Program - The National Park Service has selected Mark Herberger as its first permanent national Operational Leadership program manager. Photo.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2422" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=PeopleNews&id=2422
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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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