The Nezv York Forest Fire Lazv. 135 



There are three grades of fire wardens. First. The Chief Fire 

 Warden, who is appointed b}' the Commission. He has "super- 

 vision of the town fire wardens, visits and instructs them in their 

 duties, and enforces the law as to fire districts in the towns, and 

 under authority of the Commission commences prosecutions for 

 violation of laws to prevent forest fires. He fills vacancies and 

 removes town fire wardens with the consent of the Commission ; 

 has charge of fire wardens' reports, and when a fire is not reported 

 ascertain its origin and result." In addition he has supervision 

 of all bills against the state rendered by the various towns for 

 fighting fires. 



Second, The town firewardens are appointed by the Chief 

 Firewarden with the consent of the Commission. Under the 

 Commission a town firewarden is charged with preventing and 

 extinguishing forest fires in his town. In case of fire in, or 

 threatening, forest or woodland the District Firewarden, if any, 

 or, if none, the Town Firewarden shall attend thereto forthwith 

 and use all necessar}' means to confine and extinguish the 

 same. The Town Firewarden or District Firewarden may sum- 

 mon an)^ resident of his town to assist in putting out fire. Any 

 resident summoned, who is physicially able, and refuses to assist 

 shall be liable to a penalty of ten dollars. In case a fire burns 

 over an acre or more of land the fire warden of the town in which 

 it occurs shall forthwith make an examination and report the 

 same on blanks furnished for this purpose to the Commission, 

 giving the area burned over, the quantity of timber, woods, logs, 

 bark or other forest products, and offences, buildings, and bridges 

 destroyed, with an estimate of the value thereof. He shall also 

 report the cause of the fire and the means used in putting it out.* 

 Should the fire be in his vicinity, although in an adjoining town, 

 it will be his duty to go there immediately and use the same 

 means too extinguish it as though it were in his own town. If 

 no warden from that town be present he shall assume the same 

 authority and the same duties as though the fire was in his 

 own town, until the arrival of the warden from the town within 

 whose limits the fire occurs ; but when a warden from the town 

 in which the fire occurs shall arrive he shall assume charge of the 

 fire. No matter which warden orders out the men to fight the 

 fire the town in which it occurs shall be liable for the expense 



*Section 226 — Duties of Firewardens. 



