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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend February 21, 2007 'Non-standard' lock led to gate problem Workers didn't have combination to secure BLM gate before Kim saga, agency says By chris conrad Mail Tribune A Bureau of Land Management review concluded government employees failed to lock the gate on a Southern Oregon access road where a San Francisco man died in December because they didn't have the combination to the lock. The Galice Access Road gate was left open because the lock was "non-standard" and employees didn't have a way to lock it, BLM spokesman Michael Campbell said. "It wasn't like there was a single issue that contributed to the gate lock being open," Campbell added. "One problem was that we had a new policy in place to deal with locking the gates, but it hadn't been properly communicated to our workers." The goal, then, is to make sure policy changes are filtered throughout the organization, Campbell said. In addition, BLM law enforcement rangers will be more aggressive in patrolling gated areas to make sure they are closed and locked during the proper times, Campbell said. The review also said the gate was left open for most of 2006 and that the agency missed three "opportunities" for that information to be communicated to the employee responsible for the gate. Advertisement The review determined employees did no wrong in leaving the gate open after James Kim died near the road in December, but said the agency needs better communication to prevent similar incidents in the future. The BLM reviewed its procedures after Kim's family became lost in late November when they used Bear Camp Road, a remote route through the Siskiyou National Forest, in an attempt to travel from Interstate 5 near Galice to Gold Beach. Searching for a way out of the mountains, they drove from Bear Camp Road to Galice Access Road, a spur road usually blocked by the gate. BLM employees had left the gate open, allowing the Kims to drive up the road and raising questions about whether the gate should have been closed. In its review, the BLM team said the Medford district's standard practice is for employees to lock gates once they're certain roads behind gates have been cleared of visitors. "However, in this case, the lock was not the standard Bureau of Land Management Grants Pass Field Office key lock and the employees did not have the combination, resulting in the gate remaining open," the review said. "We did learn a lot of very valuable lessons from this event," Campbell said. "One of those lessons was to improve upon our travel management to make sure this doesn't not happen again." Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help