NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Monday, November 25, 2013

INCIDENTS

Mount Rainier NP

Rangers Deal With Two Simultaneous Nighttime Rescues

The rescue of an injured skier in the Panoramic Point area above Paradise on the night of November 21st was made more complex when word came to rangers that a snowboarder was reported lost in the same area. 

At 3 p.m., word was received that a 36-year-old skier had fallen down a 200 foot ice field and had severely broken his knee.  By the time rangers were able to reach and assess him, waning daylight precluded the safe use of a helicopter as a means of extrication, so rangers began setting up a technical raising.

As they were doing so, it became apparent that to conduct this operation safely, additional outside resources would be needed.  Six members of Tacoma Mountain Rescue and six members of Olympic Mountain Rescue, all trained volunteers, responded from various areas around Puget Sound to help conduct the rescue. In the meantime, a tent and sleeping bags were sent up to the site to protect the skier from the elements. 

Although skies were clear and calm overnight, temperatures were in the 20's throughout the ordeal.  The laborious task of carefully raising the injured man and sledding him down to Paradise in darkness took most of the night.

Around 9 p.m., while this rescue was underway, the park received a report that a 36-year-old solo snowboarder was lost in the Pebble Creek area above Paradise. The man had texted his girlfriend and reported that he was trying to get back to the parking lot, but that he was unable to do so because of the darkness. This area is on a ridge with steep ice fields and gullies along the way. Freezing weather had created a hard, slippery ice crust throughout the area, and a slip or fall could have proven deadly. 

Ranger Kevin Ross, the incident commander for the rescue that was already underway, directed several of the rescue volunteers to begin a hasty search in the area of Pebble Creek. As they searched for the man, they called out his name. Around 12:20 a.m., they got a response.

The snowboarder was found near Pebble Creek. He was cold but otherwise in good condition and was able to walk out to Paradise.

All parties were safely taken off the mountain between 4:30 and 5:00 in the morning. The skier was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Puyallup.  

[R. Chuck Young, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's InsideNPS. To see the full text, 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 Morning Report web page ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/" http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/):

Workforce, Relevancy and Inclusion - The National Park Service has a new advisory group. The Council for Indigenous Relevancy, Communication, Leadership, and Excellence (CIRCLE) will serve as a resource to enhance NPS employees' understanding of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian issues.

United States Park Police - Chief Teresa C. Chambers will be retiring on December 5th after more than 37 years of law enforcement service.

Pinnacles NP - During the last weekend of October, rock climbers from far and wide descended on Pinnacles National Park to take part in its first ever “Climber Appreciation Days.” 

Golden Gate NRA - The National Japanese American Historical Society and its partners, the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service, dedicated the new Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center in a ceremony on Veterans Day.

Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities in Congress for the week ending November 22nd.

Southeast Region - Jim Strotman, chief of land resources for Southeast Region, will be retiring at the end of the year. A retirement party will be held on December 12th.

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The Morning Report is 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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