42 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



assist in fire fij^hting is apportioned among the members of the association 

 (tn an acreage basis. 



Proper Equipment for Fighting Fires. 



Just as in a city the efficiency of a fire service depends in large part on 

 the ecinipniont, so also in forest work it is essential that fire fighters be 

 furnislK'd wiih the i)roper tools and other equipment. The implements needed 

 for fighting fiies difier under dift'erent conditions. Wherever dirt can be used 

 the men should be provided with long-handled shovels. If water is available, 

 buckets should be jtrovided, and, where possible, bucket pumps. Under most 

 conditions it is desirable to have mattocks and iron rakes, and there should 

 always be axes to aid in clearing brush or cutting through down timber and 



old tops. 



Tliese implements should be kept in a convenient place for use in fighting 

 Jiivs. l'roi>er organization for fire protection includes an adequate equipment 

 for the fire fighting force. No matter how^ numerous or skilled the crew, the 

 men are helpless without proper implements. In the protection of woodlots in 

 settled regions every farmer who reiairs to a fire usually takes his own shovel, 

 rake, ax. or other implement. In the more remote forests under organized pro- 

 tection, the implements are usually provided by the ranger. A very good plan 

 is to have caches at convenient points on the trails or at the lookout stations, 

 containing fire-fighting tools. In some cases in the mountain regions tools are 

 kept in a special pack outfit ready to be thrown upon horses and taken at once 

 to the fire. Such special outfits usually include shovels, collapsible pails, axes, 

 mattocks, ropes, and in some cases fire extinguishers, and a small quantity of 

 provisions to enable fire fighters to camp out over night if necessary. Where 

 there are good roads, as in the woodlot regions, special fire wagons have been 

 used to advantage. (PI. X, fig. 1.) These consist of an ordinary wagon of 

 the Concord type, furnished with a complete equipment of tools, bucket 

 pumps, fire extinguishers, water tanks or barrels, etc. The author has used 

 on his own tract in Pennsylvania a crude fire wagon consisting of a two-seated 

 buckboard provided with a special galvanized-irou water tank with a capacity 

 of about V/'j barrels. The wagon is also equipped with two fire extinguishers, 

 two bucket pumps, one half dozen buckets, shovels, rakes, axes, and such other 

 tools as are needed in fighting fires. 



Organization of the Fighting Crew. 



It is important that there be in charge of the fighting crew someone in 

 authorit}' to thoroughly organize the w'ork. A small crew well organized 

 can do much more efi'ective work than a loosely organized large crew. One 

 of the advantages of the fire-warden system adopted in a number of states is 

 that the warden has authority not only to impress men to fight fire but to 

 direct their work. 



The efficiency of the fire-fighting crew depends very largely on their skill 

 and experience, and particularly on the skill and experience of the man direct- 

 ing the work. It is not only a question of knowledge of how to assign each 

 man where his work will be most efi'ective, but there must be judgment exer- 

 cised in determining the general method of attack. The character of the fire, 

 the character of the forest, the condition of the atmosphere, the strength and 

 direction of the wind, the rapidity with which the fire is running, and many 

 other points have to be taken into consideration. 



Methods of Fighting Surface Fires. 



Small surface fires may often be beaten out. This is possible when the 

 fire is burning chiefly in a dry leaf litter or short grass. Where there are tops 



