Building a Fire Organization 



491 



justified is difficult. In rough country 

 the desired accessibility by road is often 

 not feasible because of high construc- 

 tion costs. The final road plan is usually 

 a compromise of many conflicting fac- 

 tors, but it should make possible the 

 maximum coverage which can be de- 

 fended economically. Often roads will 

 be used for purposes other than pro- 

 tection to remove wood products, for 

 example so the total cost of road con- 

 struction and maintenance frequently 

 need not all be charged against pro- 

 tection. 



In country where road building is 

 very expensive or in areas where the 

 fire hazard is low and the speed of the 

 initial attack need not be great, roads 

 may not be needed at all. Trails may 

 be the only means of transportation 

 that can be justified. Planning for 

 trails would follow the same general 

 procedure as that for roads. 



The final transportation plan should 

 show on a map of the area all existing 

 and proposed roads and trails by de- 

 scriptive symbols. In addition, infor- 

 mation (in atlas form) is desirable, 

 giving the name of the road or trail, 

 its length, termination, and number in 

 the transportation system. It may con- 

 tain also data on specifications, cost, 

 and date of completion. 



THE DISPATCHING PLAN comes next. 

 Any organization dealing with condi- 

 tions subject to rapid change, as in fire 

 control, must be flexible and ready to 

 handle emergencies that demand quick 

 action. Every fire that starts is the be- 

 ginning of a potential emergency; 

 hence, in a fire organization a means 

 must be provided to enable quick ac- 

 tivation of the fire-fighting forces and 

 equipment. If the initial attack fails, a 

 plan of follow-up action must be ready. 

 It is much like a field army in action. 



No fire organization would be com- 

 plete without a key individual whose 

 job is to receive and evaluate reports 

 from lookouts and dispatch initial-at- 

 tack forces and equipment to fires. In 

 emergencies he must quickly arrange 

 for sufficient additional help in the 



form of fire fighters, equipment, and 

 supervisory personnel. He is known 

 as the dispatcher. He should be capa- 

 ble and familiar with the country and 

 fire fighting ; in large measure he is the 

 sparkplug of the whole fire-control 

 organization. 



Essentials of a dispatching plan are : 



1. Proper location of the dispatch- 

 ing center. This is usually controlled 

 by communication facilities because 

 the dispatcher must be stationed where 

 he has rapid communication with both 

 the lookouts and his initial-attack 

 forces. Where it is feasible, he should 

 also be able to get in contact quickly 

 with nearby work crews. Commercial 

 communication facilities must be 

 available in the event it is necessary 

 to obtain additional outside help from 

 cooperators, the neighboring protection 

 agencies, or other sources. 



2. A list containing the names and 

 locations of all detectors and the loca- 

 tion and strength of all initial-attack 

 forces. 



3. A fire-danger rating system that 

 gives daily information on the fire dan- 

 ger in the area. 



4. Fire-weather forecasts. 



5. A manning plan for each detec- 

 tor or initial-attack station showing 

 when and under what conditions they 

 will be manned and the strength to be 

 maintained as fire danger decreases or 

 increases. 



6. Information on the availability of 

 all additional fire fighters in or near 

 the area; the location, the quantity, 

 and the kinds of equipment available; 

 food, camp cooks, cooking equipment, 

 bedding, and such. 



7. Information on wage rates and 

 contracts for hire of private equip- 

 ment. 



8. Information on the availability 

 of additional fire-control supervisory 

 personnel. 



THE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT used in 

 fire fighting are different in different 

 sections of the country. What is most 

 effective in one section may be useless 

 in another. The types of hand tools 



