NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, May 23, 2013

INCIDENTS

Independence NHP

Pro Marijuana Rally Held In Park

On Saturday, May 18th, the Philadelphia Hip Hop Society, a pro-marijuana organization, held a public assembly (First Amendment event) called the “Smoke Down Prohibition V” rally on People's Plaza in Independence NHP. This was this organization's second permitted event in the park. Protection rangers worked closely with Philadelphia Police Department officers to monitor and respond to this event, as participants in the first event held on April 20th claimed to have participated in civil disobedience by smoking marijuana despite knowing the law prohibiting it.

With the assistance of a number of law enforcement agencies, including the Philadelphia Police Department, K-9 units, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, rangers and officers enforced appropriate federal regulations, resulting in two federal arrests for assault and interference (18 USC 111) and four citations, with more pending. [ INCLUDEPICTURE "https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" \* MERGEFORMATINET Patrick Suddath, Chief Ranger]

Hot Springs NP

Life Saved Through Prompt EMS Response

Ranger Jeff Johnson was on patrol on the afternoon of May 16th when he came upon a car with a cloud of white smoke around it stuck on top of the 18-inch-high concrete barrier/curbed median in front of Lama Bath House. At the same time, dispatchers at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, which provides dispatch services for Hot Springs, began receiving calls from park employees reporting the incident. Johnson saw several people standing near the vehicle's driver side door, with one attempting rescue breathing on the driver and lone occupant. He immediately requested an EMS response. Two rangers and an EMT were soon on scene. Meanwhile, Johnson noted that the occupant of the vehicle was turning purple and placed her on the ground with a bystander's assistance. An AED was used to restore her pulse. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was reported to be in critical but stable condition. Investigation revealed that the woman had called her husband, reported that she wasn't feeling well, and said she was heading home. While doing so, he'd lost control of her vehicle and hit the barrier, which kept the car from running down pedestrians or hitting one of the historic buildings. [John Hughes, 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/):

Hawaii Volcanoes NP - The Volcano House will fully reopen on the rim of Kilauea Caldera in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park next month following a multi-million dollar upgrade. The 33-room hotel is owned by the National Park Service and is managed under contract by Hawai‘i Volcanoes Lodge Company.

James A. Garfield NHS - James A. Garfield National Historic Site was prominently featured in a recent episode of the C-SPAN series, “First Ladies: Influence and Image.” The episode aired last Monday.

Northeast Region - Students at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), located in Gateway's Sandy Hook Unit, have been working with park staff on an interactive herbarium website that tracks the species growing in the Sandy Hook ecosystem.

Fire and Aviation Management - The voting phase of the NPS Fire and Aviation Photo and Video Contest has started and is open through June 20th.

Grand Canyon NP - Longtime park volunteer Sjors Horstman recently received the Governor's Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Service Award, the highest volunteer award in the state of Arizona.

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Guidance on incident notification can be found under the “Hot Topics” heading on InsideNPS or at HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504" http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custompages.cfm?prg=45&id=8728&lv=2&pgid=3504.

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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