Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Major SAR Underway for Missing Teenage Boy
The park has been involved in a major, complex search and rescue
operation since the afternoon of Thursday, July 15th. Two 17-year old
boys from Carlsbad, California, were camping at Jumbo Rocks Campground
when they became separated from one another near the eastern edge of the
campground at 12:30 p.m. E.S. was reported missing by his companion at
the Oasis Visitor Center at approximately 4:30 p.m. Park rangers
responded and organized hasty searches of the area on Thursday evening,
but were unable to locate the missing teen. On Friday, the search was
expanded to a unified incident command structure involving Joshua Tree
National Park, Riverside County Sheriffs Office, and the San Bernardino
County Sheriffs Office. District ranger Jeff Ohlfs served as co-IC for
the park, with district ranger Dan Messaros serving as operations chief.
Initial reports indicated that E.S. was lost without food or water in
weather conditions which featured daily highs in the upper 90s with very
low humidity. Throughout the weekend, the search operation continually
expanded until by Sunday more than 20 different agencies and volunteer
SAR teams totaling 170 SAR personnel were assigned to the incident.
Assets employed in the search included helicopters and fixed-winged
aircraft, ground searchers, professional trackers, technical climbers,
scent dogs, bloodhounds, and equestrian patrols. Adding more tragedy to
the incident, a vehicle with five volunteer searchers reporting to the
search was involved in a head-on collision early Saturday morning in the
town of Morongo Valley. Two searchers died from their injuries and
another was critically injured. The driver of the other vehicle was
arrested for driving under the influence and faces possible murder
charges. Park staff deeply regrets the tragic loss of the volunteers
from San Bernardino County. Media interest in the search is high, with
more than 30 news organizations covering the incident. Weather and rough
terrain have made search operations challenging. The search perimeter
covers roughly 20 square miles, and the area is characterized by
maze-like boulder formations with literally thousands of crevices,
caves, and deep holes. There is no surface water in the area. On
Monday, the Riverside County Sheriffs Office received information that
led to the opening of a criminal investigation surrounding the
disappearance of E.S. The search continued Tuesday, with the park
assuming command for search operations. Fourteen people, mainly park
staff and Joshua Tree Search and Rescue volunteers, continued to support
the search operation. All inquiries about the incident are being
directed to Riverside County Sheriffs Office, which is handling the
investigation with assistance from Joshua Tree National Park rangers.
Jumbo Rocks Campground has been closed to public use during the search
and subsequent investigation.
[Submitted by Joe Zarki, Public
Information Officer]
Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
Slide Cleanup Operations Continue
Crews made good progress on Tuesday toward to reopening the East
Entrance. Park managers are optimistic that the road will be reopened to
through traffic in a few days. Within less than 48-hours after the
slides that prompted the temporary road closure, a significant amount of
the rock, mud and debris had been cleared away. Employees of the park
and HK Contractors, Inc. worked through Tuesday evening and resumed
clearing operations yesterday morning. The road remains temporarily
closed between the East Entrance Station and Sylvan Lake. One vehicle
trapped between mudslides has been removed. Another vehicle that had
been trapped in the rubble has been freed by cleanup crews. Two other
vehicles remain mired in what has been described as a slurry of rock and
mud. No unexploded ordinance from artillery shells used for avalanche
control was found in the debris removed today. Showers and thunderstorms
forecast for the area on into the weekend could have an impact on the
pace of the debris removal effort. Once the road has been cleared of
debris, park staff will be able to rebuild sections of roadbed and
guardrail washed away by the slides. Despite the temporary closure of
the park's East Entrance, the other entrances to Yellowstone National
Park and all visitor services remain open. Travel between the park and
Cody, the North Fork area and Pahaska Teepee remains possible over the
Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WY-296) and the Beartooth Highway (US-212)
through Cooke City and the park's Northeast Entrance. Visitors may
experience up to half-hour delays between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. east
of Cooke City due to road construction.
[Submitted by Al Nash, Public
Affairs Specialist]
Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Climbing Fatality
The body of D.B., of Butte, Montana, was found by park rangers on the
west side of the Grandstand in upper Valhalla Canyon on the evening of
Tuesday, July 20th. Initial findings indicate that D.B. took a
significant fall — perhaps as much as 1,000 feet — and died of
massive traumatic injuries. He most likely slipped while free soloing
the North Ridge of the Grand Teton along the Grand Traverse. A climbing
party located a backpack in upper Valhalla Canyon and alerted two
members of the search party at 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday. As the two rangers
proceeded to the location to investigate, the park's contract helicopter
flew to the scene. A ranger in the helicopter spotted D.B.'s body about
50 feet below the pack at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. The two
rangers on the ground descended to D.B. and prepared his body for
helicopter transport to Lupine Meadows. It was then taken to Valley
Mortuary in Jackson. D.B. was passionate about climbing and had been
doing it for many years. He climbed extensively all over the world, in
addition to Grand Teton.
[Submitted by Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs
Specialist]
Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Suicides Thwarted
On July 10th, park dispatch received an "attempt to locate" message
for two teenage males from southern California who were reportedly en
route to the park in a stolen car and had left behind notes indicating
their intention to commit suicide there. A South Rim ranger found the
car at the South Kaibab trailhead late that day, then saw the pair
hiking down the trail toward a popular overlook. Four rangers were sent
down the trail and reached a point where they could observe the teens as
they stood, without talking, on a ledge. Fearing that a direct approach
would cause the two to jump, the rangers decided to attempt to get them
away from the edge by employing a ruse. Two of the rangers began hiking
down the trail, yelling for "Amy," a contrived lost child. When they
neared the teens, the rangers asked them if they'd seen the lost girl,
then asked them to come back from the edge for additional information.
Following a brief conversation, the rangers were able to convince them
that the Grand Canyon was closing for the day and that the rangers were
the last two out of the canyon. The teens agreed to hike back to the rim
in advance of the rangers. When they got to a portion of the trail free
from exposure to a fall, the remaining two rangers emerged from cover.
Together, the four rangers took the teens into custody without incident.
They were taken to Flagstaff, where one remains in custody pending
charges for auto theft and possession of a controlled substance. Charges
against his compatriot will likely be dropped when he is admitted to a
psychiatric care facility in California. Ranger Marty McCaslin was IC;
rangers Dale Kissner, Ken Phillips, Chuck Sypher and Marc Yeston made
the arrest.
[Submitted by Mark Yeston, Backcountry Supervisor]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
NIFC/NPS Fire and Aviation Management
National Fire Situation Highlights — Thursday, July 21, 2004
Preparedness Level 3
Initial attack was moderate in Alaska on Wednesday and light elsewhere. Four of the 232 newly-reported fires escaped initial attack and became large fires — three in Alaska, one in the Southwest. Another three large fires were contained.
Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.
Weather Forecast
A much drier air mass will continue to dominate western weather today, decreasing thunderstorm activity and lowering humidity values. The exception will continue to be across the Rocky Mountain Area, New Mexico and northern Utah where residual moisture will lead to isolated thunderstorms. In Alaska, scattered thunderstorms will be a threat once again as low pressure south of the Kenai Peninsula rotates moisture into east-central sections of the state.
Warnings and Watches
No warnings or watches have been issued for today.
NPS Fires
For a brief supplemental narrative on each fire, click on the bar with the arrow. Internal NPS readers can link directly to full reports on each fire by clicking on the notepad icon; public readers of the Morning Report can obtain similar information by going to http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
National/State Team Commitments
Newly listed fires (on this report) appear below in boldface. Changes in the status of a fire (type of team, change from a fire to a complex, etc.) are also noted in boldface.
Fires are sorted by type of team; teams are listed in alphabetical order within each type by the IC's last name.
|
State |
Agency |
Team |
IC |
Fire and Location |
7/21 |
7/22 |
% Con |
Est Con |
|
AK |
State |
1 |
Anderson |
Boundary Fire, Fairbanks Area |
485,600 |
485,600 |
20 |
UNK |
|
WA |
USFS |
1 |
Bennett |
Icicle Fire, Okanogan/Wenatchee NF |
778 |
778 |
55 |
7/25 |
|
CA |
USFS |
1 |
Cable |
Crown Complex, Angeles NF # |
3,000 |
14,958 |
66 |
UNK |
|
CA |
State |
1 |
Gelobter |
Pine Fire, Los Angeles County |
17,418 |
17,418 |
100 |
CND |
|
AK |
BLM |
2 |
Carlson |
Eagle Complex, Upper Yukon Zone |
614,565 |
614,974 |
NR |
UNK |
|
AK |
BLM |
2 |
Furlong/ Gormley |
Central Complex, Upper Yukon Zone |
195,000 |
222,900 |
0 |
UNK |
|
AK |
State |
2 |
Goheen |
Chicken Fire, Tok Area Forestry |
392,352 |
392,352 |
NR |
UNK |
|
AK |
State |
2 |
Kurth |
Taylor Complex, Tok Area Forestry |
458,207 |
460,806 |
NR |
8/3 |
|
WA |
USFS |
2 |
Johnson * |
Pot Peak Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF |
11,850 |
11,850 |
68 |
UNK |
|
CA |
NPS |
FU |
Cook |
Meadow Complex, Yosemite NP |
4,250 |
4,308 |
N/A |
11/1 |
# The Crown Complex includes the previously reported Crown Fire and Foothill Fire, both being managed by Cable's IMT.
* Washington Interagency IMT
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
|
Date |
7/16 |
7/17 |
7/18 |
7/19 |
7/20 |
7/21 |
7/22 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
|
Crews |
279 |
257 |
284 |
301 |
273 |
261 |
257 |
|
Engines |
520 |
609 |
644 |
653 |
482 |
481 |
587 |
|
Helicopters |
128 |
115 |
124 |
125 |
109 |
98 |
91 |
|
Air Tankers |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Overhead |
2,066 |
2,221 |
2,237 |
2,234 |
2,495 |
2,506 |
2,134 |
Further Information
This report is meant to present just highlights of the current fire situation. Two other NIFC sites provide much greater detail:
Full NIFC Situation Report (PDF file) — http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.pdf
National Fire News — http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html
Information on NPS Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) and on park fires can be found at:
FAM — http://www.nps.gov/fire
Park fires — http://www.nps.gov/fire/news
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Coronado National Memorial (AZ)
Dale Thompson Retiring
Dale Thompson, superintendent of Coronado National Memorial, will retire after 26 years with the NPS.
Dale's career spans 35 years. He is leaving with 26 years of service in 13 units of the NPS.
Starting as a seasonal park guide at Carlsbad Caverns NP in 1969, Dale continued to teach and work seasonally at Mount Rainier NP, Grand Tetons NP, and Sequoia NP until he became a permanent employee in 1982.
His first permanent NPS assignment was at Hot Springs NP followed by subdistrict ranger at Big Bend NP, district ranger at Death Valley NM, instructor at Albright Training Center, assistant superintendent at Canyon de Chelly NM, chief ranger at Lake Meredith NRA/Alibates Flint Quarries NM, chief ranger at Organ Pipe Cactus NM, and superintendent at Coronado NM.
Dale has applied his woodworking skills to many park projects, leaving his handy work behind at most of these parks.
Park Service assignments have also taken him to Panama, Mexico, and Venezuela. In December 2003 he received the Superior Service Award.
Dale and his wife Judy will live in Vail, Arizona, where Dale plans to continue working on their retirement home. The park staff will hold a small luncheon at the newly built park conference room on July 29th.
Dale had this to say about leaving: "As I've heard many say when leaving 'I've enjoyed living where people come to play, the resources are special, but it's the people that I've worked with that I will miss the most'."
[Submitted by Barbara Alberti, barbara_alberti@nps.gov, 520-366-5515, ext. 30]
Yosemite National Park (CA)
GS-11 Operational Supervisor Positions
The park is recruiting for three GS-025-11 supervisory protection ranger positions:
Assistant Shift Supervisor, Valley District (two positions) — The persons selected will perform first-line operational and administrative supervisory duties in one of the busiest districts in the NPS. Duties include supervising valley shift operations two days per week (minimally); assisting with recruitment, retention, and training; writing performance plans/evaluations; reviewing reports; and much more. Candidates must be able to work in a team environment and perform/supervise in a full range of operational areas, including LE, SAR, EMS, fire and resource protection, and must be progressive, able to lead by example, and possess the skills necessary to become successful field supervisors. Each person will supervise (under direction of a shift supervisor) up to six permanent GS-9 protection rangers and up to three seasonals. Questions regarding these two positions should be directed to Leslie Reynolds and/or Dave Horne at 209-372-0224.
Big Oak Flat Subdistrict Ranger, Mather District (one position) — The person selected will perform first-line operational and administrative supervisory duties in the largest district in the park. The subdistrict is semi-remote, and rangers there have myriad roles and responsibilities spread over a large geographical area. He/she will supervise day-to-day field operations in frontcountry and backcountry settings; prepare performance plans/evaluations; reviews reports; assists with recruitment, retention and training; and be responsible for other district management functions. She/he must be able to work in a team environment and perform/supervise in a full range of operational areas, including LE, SAR, EMS, fire and resource protection, and must be progressive, able to lead by example, and possess the skills necessary to become a successful field supervisor. The ranger selected will supervise up to six permanent GS-9 rangers and up to five seasonals. Questions regarding this positions should be directed to Dave Lattimore at 209-379-1897.
The announcement will be posted on USA Jobs no later than July 26th.
[Submitted by Cam Sholly, Deputy Chief Ranger, Field Operations]
Bandelier National Monument (NM)
GS-0341-11/12 Administrative Officer
The park is recruiting for a GS-0341-11/12 administrative officer. The announcement closes on August 13th. Under the guidance and direction of the superintendent, the person selected will serve as the park's chief of administration. She/he will supervise a GS-9 budget analyst, a GS-11 contracting officer, a GS-9 info tech specialist, and a GS-11 human resources specialist. Responsibilities include:
providing fair and equal opportunities in recruitment/staffing, employee development, performance management, recognition, work assignments, work schedules and employee safety; establishing standards of service;
dealing effectively with people;
handling stressful , sensitive situations and resolving conflicts;
participating as an active member of a work team.
The person selected must be able to obtain a federal government charge card.
Please visit the following websites for information on the job, the park and the area:
For further information, call 505-672-3861 ext. 506.
[Submitted by Rogelio Herrera, Human Resources Specialist]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.