FOEEST SERVICE. 503 



On many of the national forests detailed fire plans were prepared, 

 based on a careful and systematic study of local conditions. The 

 complete fire plan consists of a description of the property exposure 

 and fire hazard and of every means which has been or may be taken 

 to meet any emergency which may arise. The fire plan is prepared 

 by the forest supervisor and is modified and strengthened in the light 

 of the experience of each fire season. Fire plans include a detailed 

 outlining of the system which will, at minimum expense, afford the 

 maximum protection which the conditions demand; an inventory of 

 all fire-fighting equipment; accurate maps showing types of forest 

 cover, danger areas,' means of communication and transportation, and 

 location of lookout stations, fire breaks, camping grounds, settle- 

 ments, and other sources of supply for labor, equipment, food, and 

 forage; determination of the fire liability of each type of forest based 

 on the results of previous fires; means of transportation and com- 

 munication between all portions of the forest and settlements where 

 help can be obtained; detailed description of the lookout system 

 necessary to cover the forest; what cooperation can be expected dur- 

 ing the dry season or at the time of fires, and detailed instructions 

 for each forest officer. 



The fire plans have already shown exactly where permanent im- 

 provements are most needed, and have aided in the wise allotment 

 of funds for improvement work. They have also supplied every 

 supervisor and district ranger with a definite outline for the con- 

 struction of trails, cabins, fences, and other projects, so that during 

 rainy weather or at other times of least danger patrolman can be im- 

 mediately transferred to improvement work without any lost motion. 

 Other features of the fire plans provide for an accurate system of 

 check patrol by which the district ranger will at all times be aware 

 of the movements of the patrolmen in his district, standardization of 

 fire tools stored at different points, and arrangements to facilitate 

 the purchase and transportation of food supplies. 



The disastrous fires of 1910 showed the necessity of a much larger 

 number of pack animals for use in transporting supplies and tools 

 to fire-fighting crews, and a considerable number of such animals 

 were purchased during the year. These are held at convenient points 

 during the drj^ season, so that they can be utilized quickly. The cost 

 of maintenance of these animals is comparatively small, since for a 

 large part of the year they are kept on Government pasture. They 

 are useful during the wet season in the construction of pennanent 

 improvements. 



Great progress was made in the fire-protection cooperative agree- 

 ments with States, railroads traversing national forests, owners of 

 large bodies of timber in and adjacent to forests, and associations of 

 lumbermen. Several railroads are using oil-burning locomotives in 

 heavily timbered districts, and many are clearing their rights of way 

 of inflammable debris. These cooperative agreements mean, in many 

 instances, the material supplementing of the fire-protective force 

 on the national forests during the summer months. In the North- 

 west there is almost no agency, private or public, which is not lending 

 its assistance to the work of fire prevention and fire fighting. With 

 all agencies in the field working toward a common end the danger 

 of destructive fires nuist gradually grow less. 



