National Parks

National Park Service

Gary Peterson

Heather Jones

Scott Bataille

Angelica Gray

Troy Dennison

University of Maryland University College

Abstract

The National Park Service (NPS) was first established in 1931. Its primary mission is to preserve and protect cultural and natural resources through a combination of research, history studies, oral histories, and management plans (Feuillan, 2009). Additionally, the NPS provides a broad range of public safety services to its parks and visitors including fire and aviation, law enforcement, security, emergency services, public health, and risk management. This paper describes different departments within NPS, their customer service, and how they ensure quality control to provide the customer with the best experience while visiting National Parks.

NPS Mission

National Park Service (NPS) aims to provide visitors that come to the parks, that include 395 National Parks, Historic Sites, Monuments, and other units of the National Park System, with a safe and educational experience while preserving the natural environment within the park. Every national park in the U.S. has government employees that clean, preserve, and maintains a safe environment within every location. The NPS has a variety of programs within its organization to ensure the parks meet the customers’ satisfaction.

The NPS regulates that all National Parks within the United States must uphold safe and healthy environments for all the employees and visitors. The NPS Occupational Safety and Health Program have a list of objectives that support the efforts in providing a safe environment “by reducing the frequency and severity of accidents and including safety and health as an integral part of every operation (The Director's Order #50B Section 1 SAFETY PROGRAM MANAGEMENT, 2001).”

Directorates and Divisions Within NPS

There are different directorates within NPS; each directorate is tasked with different responsibilities. By working together, they ensure...