FIRE PROTECTION IN PORTUGAL^ 

 By Theodore S. Woolsey, Jr. 



The basic preventative fire laws governing fires on or near State, 

 communal, or private lands in Portugal provide that there shall be 

 no fires within 200 yards of forest boundaries, no brush can be burned 

 nor any fire set within forests ; the penalties are $100 to $300 and 

 under certain conditions there may be a prison sentence. 



A typical example of State forest fire protection is found in the 

 maritine forest of Leiria, a State forest of some 28,066 acres, about 

 15 miles long by 5 miles in width, lying between Oporto and Lisbon 

 along the seacoast. 



The fire protective system is as follows : 



(1). Fire Hnes, which are alzvays kept cleared, (a) 10 to 20 yards 

 in width (east and west), (b) 3 to 5 yards in width (north and south) 

 which divide the forest into 342 compartments with an average area 

 of 82 acres. 



(2). Four lookout stations, connected by telephone and all visible 

 from one point, are supplied with an oriented map of the forest with 

 alidode. The central station then locates the fire by triangulation. 

 In the words of the ofificial report : 



"As soon as the watcher sees smoke or fire he directs his telescope 

 to the point where it appears and forthwith informs the administrative 

 headquarters by telephone that he has discovered smoke or fire at 

 such and such a degree. The other observation towers, being ques- 

 tioned, answer in the same way, indicating the point or degree where 

 they see the same fire, so that the administration, by drawing the differ- 

 ent angles indicated obtains the exact point where they cross each 

 other, thus showing the portion of the woods where the fire is burning." 



This is of interest, since this practical use of triangulation in fire 

 detection in Portugal probably antedates its use in the United States. 



After a fire is discovered some of the methods are rather amusing. 



(a) All stations hoist a red flag and blow horns — the fire signal to 

 all workmen and guards. 



^ Based on data secured by the American Ambassador at Lisbon from the 

 Ministerio da Agricultura, July 17, 1919. The writer has been collecting data 

 on fire protection for some years, and this note may be of interest. 



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