NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, August 2, 2010

INCIDENTS

Gulf Coast Parks

Ingenuity Leads To Safer, More Effective Cleanup Operations

Despite climatic and operational constraints, crews are becoming steadily more efficient in cleaning up beaches, with daily collection totals more than tripling since early July. Here are the particulars:

Gulf Islands NS - Storms and high temperatures have affected oil cleanup efforts in the park. BP contractors and their crews are back on the job and hard at work after Tropical Storm Bonnie. The storm forced all equipment, large and small, to be removed from Gulf Islands National Seashore's sensitive lands. High temperatures at the seashore also impact the amount of time workers can be out in the sun cleaning up the oil. OSHA regulated work-rest ratios are based on daily temperature and humidity. These ratios dictate how often workers need to take breaks. Colored flags are used to indicate the daily conditions to the workers. Crew leaders work to ensure that hydration and sun protection remain a priority. Despite these conditions, crews have adapted to these conditions by developing more efficient rakes and sifters. On the one hundredth day after the oil spill first began, crews working in the Mississippi section of the national seashore were able to remove 27,925 pounds of oil in contrast to only 9,000 pounds of oil removed on a given day in the beginning of July.

South Florida Parks (Big Cypress, Biscayne, Desoto, Dry Tortugas, Everglades) - No new developments.

Jean Lafitte NHP&P - No new developments.

Padre Island NS - No new developments.

For more information on the NPS, DOI and national oil spill responses and for a link to the BP online oil spill safety training needed by all incident staff, please see the following sites:

HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doctype/2931/53023/" Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm" DOI Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm" NPS Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/" National Oil Spill Response

HYPERLINK "http://www.restorethegulf.gov/" Restore The Gulf

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Conferences&id=1957" Oil Spill Safety Training

HYPERLINK "http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/" GeoPlatform

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=1006&id=9336" NPS ICS 209 Incident Status Summaries

HYPERLINK "http://classicinside.nps.gov/documents/NPS%20-%20Public%20Health%20Notice%20SIGNAGE%206-26-10.pdf" Gulf Islands Public Health Precautions Notice

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/OilSpillSafety/index.htm" Public Health Service Oil Spill Safety Video

HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/archive/features/oilspillresponse/" Oil Spill Media Page

[Brigid Jennings, Alyse Cadez, and Jeff Wolin, Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response]

Denali NP&P

Plane Crashes In Park, Three Fatalities Probable

A large, multi-engine Fairchild C-123 crashed into the south-facing slope of Mount Healy within a mile of park headquarters and approximately 200 yards north of the Denali Park Road yesterday afternoon. The crash started a wildland fire, which was contained at approximately one acre. As the fire is still active, a thorough investigation of the scene is not yet possible. It appears that all three people reportedly on board died in the crash. The first personnel arrived on scene within minutes, but the wreckage was already engulfed in flames. In addition to National Park Service medics and other emergency responders, the Tri-Valley and McKinley Village volunteer fire departments responded with fire engines and an ambulance. The Tanana Zone of the Alaska Fire Service dropped eight smokejumpers into the scene. The jumpers and Denali wildland firefighters were putting water on hotspots yesterday to fully control and extinguish the fire. They and NPS rangers remained on scene overnight. The Alaska State Troopers also responded and have assisted with the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been notified. The NTSB investigators will arrive on scene this morning. Denali Park Road is open to traffic, but the Rock Creek and Roadside Trails (which link park headquarters and the Denali Visitor Center) are temporarily closed. There is a temporary flight restriction (TFR) in effect over the crash site until further notice. Pilots using the park airstrip or transiting the Windy Pass area are cautioned to check notices to aircraft (NOTAMs) and be alert for firefighting and official aircraft. [Kris Fister, Public Affairs Officer]

Cape Lookout NS

Several Visitors Rescued From Rip Current

On Thursday, July 22nd, protection rangers Erin Lamm and Joe Lamm received a report that five visitors were caught in a rip current off the ocean beach near the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. When the rangers arrived on location, Cape Lookout interpreters were already assisting with the rescue. Park guide Molly Andrews was assisting five visitors - all foreign exchange students - out of the water at the beach's edge. Erin Lamm saw that there was still one visitor - a family host - who was caught in the rip current quite a distance from the beach and having difficulty getting back to shore. She swam to the man using a torpedo buoy and assisted him back to the beach, where he was given emergency medical care. Ranger/EMT Joe Lamm provided emergency medical care to the victims on the beach and communicated with Carteret County dispatch for assistance. Ultimately, all the visitors declined further medical attention. Erin Lamm was well prepared for this incident due to the fact that two weeks earlier Cape Lookout interpretation and protection staff, along with local rescue personnel, attended a surf rescue training class at the park. The training is designed to teach park staff surf rescue techniques and to inform them of what is within and, more importantly, what is beyond their capabilities. [Barry Munyan, Chief Ranger]

Death Valley NP

Man Killed In Single-Vehicle Rollover Accident

An 82-year-old Arizona man died in an unwitnessed single-vehicle rollover accident on the Scotty's Castle Road on July 28th. An ambulance (Medic 2) from Scotty's Castle, staffed by NPS interpretive and maintenance personnel, arrived on scene within a few minutes of receiving the report and found the man, who'd suffered severe traumatic injuries, still inside his Chevrolet Malibu station wagon. He had no pulse and was not breathing. An AED was employed, but displayed a “no shock” message. Meanwhile, other rangers headed to the scene, including Engine 1 from the Cow Creek Ranger Station. They twice tried an AED, but got the same message. Per protocol, life-saving measures were stopped after the third message indicating no shockable rhythm. California Highway Patrol officers assumed the lead in the investigation; the Inyo County Sheriff's Office dispatched the county coroner. The man was wearing a seatbelt but had been partially ejected on impact. Although the airbags deployed, the roof of the vehicle collapsed in the rollover. Initial investigation indicates that the man may have suffered some kind of medical episode before the car left the road. There was no evidence of excessive speed, reckless driving or alcohol use. Ranger Ryan Gallagher was the IC. [Brent Pennington, Chief Ranger]

Great Smoky Mountains NP

Knoxville Man Killed In Single-Vehicle Crash

Rangers are investigating a single-vehicle accident that killed a 47-year-old Knoxville man last Tuesday. The man was driving east on Laurel Creek Road that morning when his 2001 Chevrolet van drifted off the right edge of the road, struck a tree, then slid about 15 feet down an embankment. He was wearing his lap/shoulder restraints and the van's airbag deployed. Rangers arrived within five minutes of the crash and found him unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No evidence of alcohol or drugs was evident. The investigation continues. [Bob Miller, Public Affairs Officer]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Grand Teton NP - Over the course of a three-day period, rangers and staff were involved in a series of complex search and rescue incidents that included two fatalities. One mission became the largest rescue operation—and one of the most complex—in the park's history. Further details are provided on these previously reported incidents.

Canaveral NS - Tens of thousands of threatened and endangered sea turtles will soon emerge from their nests on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. A major inter-agency effort is underway to rescue this generation of turtle hatchlings for spill contamination. Photo.

National Natural Landmarks Program - The seventh annual NNL photo contest is underway. A link is provided whereby you can vote for your favorite photo. Photo.

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.

Office of the Chief Information Officer - Shannon Wondra retired from the National Information Services Center in Lakewood, Colorado, on July 31st after 27 years with the Department of the Interior and 16 with the NPS. Photo.

NPS incident submission standards can be found online at the HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" serious incident notification web page.

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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