Starting out with a Bang

My first week at Mammoth Cave National Park started out the best way that it could have, on the range. It just to so happened that my first day coincided with the rangers' firearms refresher. Before heading out, I was outfitted with a duty belt and I was taught shooting stance, grip, how to draw from a retention holster, and how to perform a tactical reload. While I could not use a real firearm at the range, I was able to use a SIG P229 chambered to fire simunition rounds, and I got to stand with all of the rangers in the firing line and run through a variety of shooting drills with them. The rangers practiced firing from a variety of stances and positions: standing, kneeling, prone, behind cover, on their backs, as well as shooting one handed and with their non dominant hands. I also learned how to draw my weapon as well as perform reloads one-handed and with just my non dominant hand. Practicing shooting skills is essential for officer safety, and the variety of the training reflected some of the possible hazards or situations a Park Ranger might find himself in. One of the more intense drills was a series of tourniquet drills. Every law enforcement Ranger carries a tourniquet on his duty belt, and while hopefully they will never need to be used, practicing applying them while under duress could be life-saving. During these drills, each ranger would fire at a target until he was told he was "hit,"  after which the afflicted limb would be incapacitated and a tourniquet would be required to stop the continued application of fake blood to that limb from a spray bottle. Once the tourniquet was in place and cinched, the shooter would perform a tactical reload, often one handed, and fire two additional rounds at the target. This drill was intense. I learned how to apply a tourniquet beforehand, and had to apply it, one-handed, as more and more slippery, fake blood was sprayed all over my arm. While reloading, my hand was covered in the fake blood, making it hard to get a grip on the slide.

The messy aftermath

Finally, we ran a small course in which everything came together. Dummies were set up on the range, some of them armed, others not, as well as barrels to simulate cover. While navigating the course and identifying threats, the tourniquets were used again, and each ranger had to duck behind cover to apply one before re-entering the fight. It was really cool to be able to participate in the training, and even more so on the first day of my internship. Needless to say, after such an awesome first day, I really excited for the rest of the Summer. 

On my second day, in addition to touring the park facilities and getting more familiar with roads and locations, I helped put together a first aid kit for the new boat. I was given a full first aid kit as an example, given access to the medical supplies in the cache, and sent on my way to figure out the rest. 

The first aid kit I was tasked with duplicating

The medical supplies available in the fire cache

By the end of the day, I had found everything that was available in the fire cache. What I could not find, I was able to acquire later from the park warehouse. It was satisfying to put together a new EMS kit, especially knowing that its use might help someone out on the river. Later that day, the new jet boat that the law enforcement division had ordered was delivered.

With the arrival of a new boat, I was given a new project, putting together a parking plan for all of the emergency boats and vehicles. In order to do this Ranger Clemons and I measured the length, width and height of all the garage bays as well as the dimensions of the park's fire truck, search and rescue trailers, rescue boats, ATV, and UTV. With this information I drew up scale diagrams of the parking bays and created scale models for each vehicle. By moving each model around on paper, I was able to devise a way to store all of the boats, trailers, and vehicles.

Some of the "vehicles" that needed to be parked.

One possible configuration for the new parking plan

With the parking plan completed, and a newly delivered, untested, boat just waiting to be used, there was only one thing left to do to finish out the week.

Launching the new boat for the first time!

Waiting for the Green River Ferry to pass

Enjoying my first boat patrol!

I had an awesome first week here at Mammoth Cave National Park that has only left me more excited about a future career with the National Park Service.