THE PROTECTION OF FORESTS FROM FIRE 



By henry S. graves 



Forester, United States Department of Agriculture 



Part V^ Concluded from December Numh&r 



METHODS OF FIOHTING FIRES 



y^^HE principles of fighting forest fires are essentially the same as those 

 \/J recognized in fighting fires in cities. The following are of first im 

 ^^ portance: (1) Quick arrival at the fire; (2) an adequate force; (3) 

 I>roper equipment; (4) a thorough organization of the fighting crew, and (5) 

 skill in attacking and fighting fires. 



Quick Access to Fires. 



Quick access to fires is accomplished through the work of supervision and 

 patrol in discovering fires before they have gained much headway, and by a 

 well-developed system of communication through the forest by roads and trails. 



An Adequate Force of Fighters. 



A small fire may be put out by one man, but in extensive forests several 

 hours may pass before the fire can be reached. It is important to secure an 

 adequate force of men and to get them to the fire quickly. In a well-organized 

 system of jiatrol the guard who discovers a fire communicates quickly to other 

 guards and to headquarters by telephone, signal, or other means, and indicates 

 the number of men he needs". It is essential that there be definite arrange- 

 ments for securing a force of men in case of fire. This may be accomplished 

 by co-operation with lumber or sawmill operators who employ forces of men, 

 and through cooperation with local residents, or, in case of small tracts, 

 through the co-operation of neighboring owners, each of whom agrees to assist 

 his neighbor in case of tires. In some states there is a system of fire wardens. 

 In case of fire, the fire warden may call upon residents to assist in extinguish- 

 ing it. They are required by law to repair to the fire in case of call, and there 

 is a small statutory compensation for services. In case of extensive forests 

 cooperative arrangements should be made with every resident within the 

 forest and with every user of the forest to assist in fighting fires. In most 

 cases where lumbering is going on the men who are employed in the logging 

 operations, at sawmills, in road construction, etc., will furnish a large force 

 on occasion. Through an efficient system of co-operation it is possible to 

 secure quickly a large force of fighters, and through this same system all the 

 residents soon take an active interest in preventing fires from starting. 



The co-operative fire protective associations in the Northwest, following 

 the example of the Forest Service, have organized systems of patrol and are 

 doing highly important work in suppressing forest fires in the white-pine re- 

 gions of Idaho and Montana and the fir forests of Washington. These associa- 

 tions now include practically all of the large timber owners in the Northwest, 

 and many small owners as well. The expense of maintaining a patrol during 

 the dry season, of fighting fires, and of building trails and telephone lines to 



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