656 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



days to use lookouts and patrolmen on other work, and on the other hand, the 

 situation may become exceedingly dangerous, and it may be necessary to 

 increase materially the number of men employed. During a bad season the 

 atmosphere may become very smoky, and it may be necessary to abandon all 

 lookouts and to depend entirely upon other patrol. For instance, during the 

 bad fires of 1910 in the northwest it was impossible for the patrolmen to see 

 fires until almost on them. During different parts of the fire season variation 

 in patrol may be necessary because of the locations at which fires may start. 

 At the beginning of the season, for instance, all the fires may be in the lower 

 valleys, while the snow is still melting in the higher m'ountains or the 

 movement of transients may also have a very material effect upon the possible 

 location of fires. 



While there is any fire danger the patrol must be regular. Patrolmen 

 and lookouts must be on duty every day, including Sundays and holidays. 

 Men who are incapacitated must be replaced immediately. When fires are 

 discovered provision must ordinarily be made for a continuation of patrol 

 while the fire is being extinguished, otherwise it may be possible for others 

 to obtain a serious start before discovery. To insure regularity, it is necessary 

 in many cases to make arrangements for the transportation of mail and 

 supplies to lookouts and patrolmen. 



On practically all of the national forests it is necessary each year to 

 break in a number of green men, and some provision must ordinarily be 

 made for their instruction and training. Much depends during the fire season 

 upon keeping open existing lines of communication. It is therefore necessary 

 to provide for frequent testing of all telephone lines, and frequently upon 

 the more important telephone lines a special daily or periodic patrol is 

 advisable. Where tools are stored at various points on the forest, it may be 

 well also to require patrolmen to make sure at frequent intervals that they 

 have not been removed, and that they are returned promptly after use at 

 fires. Lookouts are usually required to communicate daily or at regular 

 intervals with the supervisor's headquarters, and on some forests provision 

 also is made for checking occasionally the work of the more inexperienced 

 patrolmen who may not be well known to the supervisor. On many of the 

 forests the supervisors require patrolmen to carry with them constantly 

 certain tools, and in parts of the northwest the men are also required to carry 

 certain amounts of supplies. 



FIGHTING FIRES 



Everything should be in readiness for immediate action when fires are 

 discovered. The patrolman or ranger should know just where to go or to send 

 for his men in order that he may secure a sufficient number of the right kind 

 of men at short notice. In practice it has been found exceedingly difficult to 

 judge the number of men needed, and to keep the right number until all danger 

 IS past. Care must be taken that the force is not too large in order that the 

 expense of fire fighting may not be increased unnecessarilv. It must be certain 

 that the proper equipment is sent and that the force will be promptly and 

 continuously supplied with suitable food. Upon arrival at the fire "camp 

 sites must be selected ; the officer in charge must at once size up the situation 

 and organize his crews. In the attack on the fire advantage must be taken of 

 all conditions which will be of any help, such, for instance, as variations in a 

 stand of timber, topography, open areas, etc. No two fires are alike, and each 

 one to be handled to the best advantage must be attacked in a different way 

 General directions in regard to fighting fires are helpful to the men in charge 

 but experience is better. Finally, fires must not be left before they are 

 extinguished. This mistake has been made repeatedly becau.se there seemed 



