AIRPLANE FOREST FIRE PATROL IN CALIFORNIA 



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lines (lint have taken twelve years to install, develop, and 

 perfect. 



Wireless, either telephone or telegraph (preferably the 

 former) should ofYer the solution to this, the biggest sin- 

 gle drawback to airplane fire patrol as it has been con- 

 ducted this past season. It is my understanding that 

 sufficient equipment, both for the ships and for ground 

 stations, is on hand within the War Department. With- 

 out wireless, or some other method of greatly hastening 

 the report time, the airplane can never function as effi- 

 ciently as does our present day lookout system ; with it. 

 j)rovided it can be made to work satisfactorily and with 

 a long enough radius, it seems possible that the lookout 

 system can be improved upon and supplanted. 



It has been found entirely practicable to get quicker, 

 more complete, and more satisfactory progress reports, 

 either on a series of small and widely scattered fires or on 

 large conflagrations, by means of the airplane than by any 

 other method so far tried. An observer who has had "the 

 run of" the fires, so to speak, can size up a bunch of 

 small fires pretty accurately from the air and, similarly 

 he can, particularly if he be acquainted with fires and 

 fire-fighting, determine very accurately the actions of a 

 large fire. The airplane patrol in California has done 

 very real service, the past season, both in making progress 

 reports on large fires which were out of communication 

 except by messenger, and in providing a quick, easy way 

 for supervising officers to get an accurate knowledge of 

 fire conditions within the territory under their control. 



It is hard to over-estimate the value of the airplane 

 as an educational factor. It is a matter which naturally 

 lends itself to publicity in the daily press. The planes 

 themselves attract attention. The Air Service personnel 

 has interested itself keenly in the work, and has taken 

 numerous opportunities before local gatherings and else- 

 where to preach the gospel of fire prevention. In fact, 

 T am inclined to believe that, considering the season just 

 passed, we might disregard entirely the many positive 

 results which air patrol has accomplished and still figure 

 that the use of planes has been a huge success. 



It seems possible, too, that the use of planes on patrol 

 may have had positive results in the way of fire prcvcn- 

 lioii. One valley on the Cleveland Forest, in Southern 

 California, has, until this year, been a seething cauldron 

 of fire. Ships have been flying over it twice each day 

 since June i, and the inhabitants understand that each 

 ship is equipped with a powerful telescope and a machine 

 gun. The valley has had no fires since the air patrol 

 has been in operation. It is a fact, too, that the serious 

 outbreak of fires in Northern California during August 

 stopped almost immediately the airplane patrol started. 

 The more probable explanation in this case, however, is 

 that three arrests on federal warrants, and seven under 

 the State law (following some of the prettiest sleuth 

 work and third degree stufif ever witnessed) acted as the 

 real deterrent. 



And now, what about the future ? 



California is looking forward, first, to an airplane 

 patrol conference which will be held early this fall be- 



tween the Western Department of the Air Service, the 

 Forest Service, and lumber and fire protection interests. 

 A conference which will decide on the number and kind 

 of ships to be used, the routes to be covered, where wire- 

 less ground sets shall be placed ; in fact, a conference to 

 line out the whole airplane patrol 1920 program, and to 

 decide upon all preliminaries so that everything can be 

 ready before the season opens. 



California is looking forward in 1920 to 20 ships, 

 stationed preferably at some four or five Supervisors' 

 headquarters, where they will be in close and constant 

 touch with the Forest Service organization and facilities. 

 If such stations or home fields are not possible, then a 

 forest officer will be detailed to each base selected. 



We hope each ship will be equipped with wireless, and 

 that sufficient wireless ground stations may be installed 

 so that no ship will be out of communication more than 

 10 or 15 minutes. And speaking of wireless, we hope to 

 have portable wireless receiving sets, so that, in case of 

 a bad fire, we may try directing the fire fight (by an ex- 

 ])erienced forest officer) from the air. We believe the 

 general fight, and we know that the progress of the fire, 

 can best be directed or watched from above the timber 

 and the brush rather than from below it. 



We want to try Forest Service observers as well as 

 .\ir Service observers. There is talk of depending on 

 air patrol entirely, at least early and late. 



We have, as you will gather, already asked for con- 

 tinuous daily airplane patrol of all the National Forests 

 in the State, and let me add that, if District Forest, State 

 and County lines are forgotten, the problem, from the 

 standpoint of the Air Service will, I believe, be con- 

 siderably simplified. We hope to amplify the progress 

 report work and to — but why go on with all ovn- hopes ? 

 Whatever we do, we are going to have carefully thought 

 out and collected statistics, so as to be able to prove 

 definitely many of the points about the work which are 

 not now capable of absolute proof. 



And now just another word. Is airplane forest fire 

 patrol a cure-all, a panacea, a remedy for all the ills to 

 which the forest is heir? By no means. Will it make 

 any saving in man power? It certainly has possibilities 

 along this line — good possibilities — and it behooves every- 

 body, during these times, to watch and to foster all meas- 

 ures offering such possibilities. Is it financially feasible? 

 If it requires an investment in equipment and personnel 

 on the part of any outfit not now equipped with both 

 material and men, probably not. But the War Depart- 

 ment has both, must keep both and must train new men 

 and keep its personnel in practice. Airplane patrol offers 

 an opportunity for training which can't be beaten. \\'ith 

 such co-operation as has been secured this past year, yes, 

 it is financially feasible. 



Is it a mechanical success? Yes. Refinements only in 

 detection and location are necessary. Better methods of 

 reporting so that the element of time may be reduced, are 

 necessary before it may approach ultimate efficiency, but 

 those methods should not be hard of solution. 



And the thing that has made it a success has been the 

 indomitable spirit — the youth, the eagerness and the ambi- 

 tion of the men of the Air Service. They are intensely 

 interested in fire patrol and in performing a real service. 

 'J'hey are a fine bunch of men — men whom we should feel 

 ])roud to have associated with us in the Forest Service 

 and the W'estern Forestry and Conservation Association. 

 All honor to them, and if, as is often claimed, a separate 

 Air Service will help to hold together and develop avia- 

 tion and the aviator's spirit of loyalty, ambition and ser- 

 vice, let us hope the separate Air Service soon becomes 

 a reality. 



