NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Friday, April 12, 2013
INCIDENTS
Buffalo NR
Two Make Unsuccessful Effort To Cross River In SUV
On April 6th, district ranger and swiftwater technician Kevin Moses was off duty at his private residence a half mile from a busy river launch area when he was contacted by visitors who advised him that an SUV was partially submerged in the river at Mt. Hersey Campground. They also said that they did not know if anyone was in the vehicle or in immediate danger. Moses headed to the campground, where he observed a 1992 Chevy Blazer in the middle of the river, facing upstream, with the entire lower half of its body submerged in the very swift, cold current. Moses donned swiftwater PPE for swimming and/or wading to the vehicle, conducted a quick risk analysis using the SPE model, determined the operation to be well within "The Green," and called for a wrecker. Ranger and swiftwater technician Melissa Moses arrived on scene a few minutes later and provided downstream throw bag safety while Kevin Moses made his way to the vehicle. He determined that no one was in, around, or under it and attached the cable from the wrecker, which pulled it from the river without incident. Moses impounded the vehicle until he could determine who its owner and/or driver was. Investigation revealed that a brother and sister had borrowed the vehicle from an associate to “test the four-wheel drive” prior to possibly purchasing it and decided that attempting to cross the four-foot-deep river, flowing at 1,100 cubic feet per second, would serve perfectly for such a test. The driver was issued violation notices for careless operation, leaving the scene of an accident, and creating a hazardous condition. After being questioned about the eight empty beer cans floating in the SUV's interior, the passenger was issued a violation notice for possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage. [Karen Bradford, Chief Ranger]
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/):
Lake Mead NRA - Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina on Lake Mohave has made history, becoming the world's first floating green building to receive the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Saguaro NP - Resource management and visitor protection staff have joined with community volunteers to clean up the numerous areas within Saguaro that have been damaged by the many people who've illegally crossed into the United States through the park.
Death Valley NP - On Wednesday, April 3rd, a delegation of Mongolian officials visited Death Valley National Park to exchange management perspectives and strategies for the long-term protection of desert parks and landscapes.
Workplace Enrichment - OPM has prepared a new leadership development guide for the NPS that offers practical strategies to strengthen seven critical skills necessary to be successful in helping the Service meet its mission.
Servicewide Training Calendar - A compilation of upcoming online training courses and webinars available to employees from across the Service. Added to this week's calendar are seven new webinars - a legal update from FLETC, a course on EEO policies and procedures, another on the interagency pass program, three advanced project management sessions, and a webinar on retirement planning for new employees.
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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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