PROTECTION OF FORESTS FROM FIRE 285 



are: (1) To prevent fires from starting; (2) to detect 

 fires as soon as possible after they start; (3) to fight fires. 



The mere fact that a tract is carefully watched makes 

 it safer, because campers, hunters, and others crossing it 

 are less careless on that account. By an efficient over- 

 sight most of the unnecessary fires can be prevent- 

 ed, such as those arising from carelessness in clearing 

 land, leaving camp-fires, and smoking; from improperly 

 equipped sawmills, locomotives, donkey engines, etc. 



One of the fundamental principles in fire protection 

 is to detect and attack fires in their incipiency. In an 

 un watched forest a fire may burn for a long time and 

 gain great headway before being discovered. In a forest 

 under proper protection there is some one man or corps 

 of men responsible for detecting fires and for attacking 

 them before they have time to do much damage or to 

 develop beyond control. 



AIDS TO SUPERVISION AND PATROL. Under the head 

 of aids to supervision and patrol are included: (1) The 

 posting of fire warnings; (2) lookout stations; (3) tele- 

 phone systems; (4) signal systems. 



The Posting of Fire Notices. One of the first steps in 

 organizing protection in a forest is to post it with fire 

 warnings. These notices emphatically warn against care- 

 lessness in the use of fire, and often give instructions how 

 to construct camp-fires and how to extinguish them 

 when breaking camp. They usually contain also the 

 prescribed penalties for infringement of the fire-laws. 

 Notices are posted at frequent intervals along roads and 



