LAND MANAGEMENT DIVISION 



ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION BRANCH 



Environmental Protection Branch duties and responsibilities 

 are as follows: 



FOREST PROTECTION 



Forest Fire Control. Administration of The Forest Fires 

 Prevention Act; organization of fire districts and the fire 

 warden system; supervision of fire control planning and 

 preparedness; fire prevention programs including a system 

 of travel, fire and work permits; co-operative fire 

 prevention and control agreements with municipalities, 

 railways, forest industries and other agencies; detection of 

 forest fires, and fire danger warnings; training of staff and 

 co-operators in fire control techniques; prescribed burning; 

 co-ordination of fire suppression; and movement of 

 resources and emergency arrangements. 

 Forest Pest Control. Prevention and control of damage by 

 insects, diseases and other pests affecting forests under 

 Department management; and advisory services. 

 Communications. Planning, installation and operation of 

 radio, telephone and teletype services for fire control and 

 other Department requirements; and construction of 

 specialized communication equipment. 



AIR SERVICE 



Operation of a fleet of aircraft to meet flying requirements 

 of the Department and special needs of other Government 

 Departments; selection and training of pilots and air 

 engineers; deployment of aircraft and crews; establishment 

 of airbases, fuel distribution and caches; selection of 

 aircraft equipment and development of special equipment; 

 leasing and disposition of helicopters and other aircraft; 

 checking pilot proficiency; and maintenance of aircraft. 



MECHANICAL EOUIPMENT 



Planning mechanical equipment programs, budgetting for 

 new and replacement equipment, standards for operation 

 and maintenance of mechanical equipment, and vehicle 

 fleet management. 



ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 



To identify environmental quality problems affecting land 

 and water under public and private control; to develop 

 environmental protection poUcies, standards, guidelines and 

 contingency and other plans in respect of the responsibili- 

 ties of the Department; co-ordinate environmental quality 

 considerations internally and externally with Branches, 

 Divisions, Departments and Agencies in respect of the 

 responsibilities of the Department of Lands and Forests; 

 influence policies and standards of other Departments and 

 organizations in respect of base resources of concern to the 

 Department of Lands and Forests. 



FOREST FIRE CONTROL 



The 1971 occurrence of 1,782 fires was above the decade 

 (1962-71) average of 1 ,497 fires per year. The 36,000 acres 

 burned over in 1971 also exceeded the average of 30,380 

 acres. 



June again proved to be a critical month in that one half 

 of the acreage was destroyed during this period. 



For the 1971 fire season, the 80/20 per cent split 

 between the numbers of man-, and Hghtning-caused fires 

 was typical of past experience. 



In terms of fire season severity, 1971 presented Ontario 

 with a higher degree of exposure to critical forest fire 

 danger conditions, i.e., highly favourable for burning, than 

 in the previous three years. However, the 1971 average fire 

 size of 20 acres per fire matches the decade average. 



CONTROL OPERATIONS 



The Fire Centre. A new concept in forest fire management 

 was introduced in part of the Northwestem Region of the 

 Province when a fire centre was located at Dryden to 

 co-ordinate fire control efforts over a 55,000-square-mile 

 area. This included all or part of the Kenora, Fort Frances, 

 Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay Districts. 



Fire centre staff consists of a co-ordinator, air attack 

 officer, detection officer, and a communications operator. 



At the fire centre, a daily planning session is held where 

 all information relating to fire weather, risk, hazard and the 

 current fire situation is analyzed. Decisions are made 

 regarding the detection need, air tanker readiness, and fire 

 suppression resource need. Implementation of the plan, 

 with revision to take care of changing conditions, is the 

 responsibility of the fire centre staff. 



Detection. Aircraft of many types provide the primary 

 means of organized detection over a large portion of 

 Ontario. The system is flexible and uses both Department 

 and commercial aircraft. Aerial patrols can be planned on 

 the basis of fire risk and fire danger, and areas can be 

 covered as often as the fire risk dictates. Experience has 

 proven that aerial detection systems can operate econo- 

 mically and provide the coverage required. 



The use of light twin-engine, land-based aircraft is 

 increasing as they can cover areas more quickly and more 

 economically. 



The co-ordination of aerial detection over large areas 

 appears to improve the system. 



Lookout towers still provide organized detection in 

 some areas of the Province and can give continual 

 surveillance over high-risk, high-value areas. 



The pubhc role in the detection of forest fires is 

 extremely important. Historically, the public has discovered 

 from 50 to 65 per cent of all fires in the Province. This 

 assistance is encouraged by publicizing telephone numbers 

 that people may call to report a fire at any hour of the day 

 or night. 



Suppression. The basic fire suppression force was 

 composed of 130 five-man fire attack crews trained in fire 

 suppression. The fire crews were supported by 38 

 fire-bombing aircraft. 



The fire-bombing fleet was complemented by the 

 addition of three land-based TBM Avenger aircraft, based at 

 Dryden Airport. These Aircraft can deliver long-term fire 

 retardants which are effective in holding a fire until the 

 ground crews arrive. 



Water-dropping aircraft can hold fires to small sizes in 

 areas where land-based aircraft cannot be used. Together, 

 the land-based and water-based aircraft provide a potent air 

 attack weapon. 



