THE PROTECTION OF FOREST FROM FIRE 45 



or piles of dry brush, or the fire is burning through thick brush or under- 

 growth, beating is very diflScult. 



There are various devices for beating, A blanket, coat, or riding slicker 

 is often used. A gunny sack is one of the best implements .for beating, par- 

 ticularly if it can be wet from time to time. A handful of green brush serves 

 also very well for a beating device. In beating out a fire, one strikes the fire 

 with a sideways sweep, driving the flames and burning material back upon the 

 burned ground. A direct stroke scatters the fire. (PI. X, fig. 2.) 



The best way to extinguish running surface fires is to throw sand upon 

 the flames. This method is, of course, practicable only when the soil is fairly 

 clear of rocks and loose enough for ready digging. In the plains of the At- 

 lantic Coast, for example, the sand is so loose that it can be dug up and thrown 

 on a fire almost anywhere. The fighting crews are equipped with long-handled 

 shovels, and the sand is thrown along the line of fire. When the fire is run- 

 ning in the open woods, in pine needles, a single shovelful of sand, properly 

 thrown, will extinguish over 10 feet of fire. 



Loose loam is also very good, but not so efi'ective as sand. Heavy soil 

 which clods is difficult to manipulate. Frequently sand or loose loam can be 

 dug up in spots, but it is too stony to secure it all along the line of fire. The 

 fighters must then supplement the use of sand or earth with beating or other 

 methods. 



Where, on account of the accumulated debris, the flames are intermit- 

 tently too severe for beating, water is used if available. Water usually has to 

 be brought from some distance; it must therefore be used very economically. 

 The best way is to deaden the flames by a little water, and then beat them out 

 with a gunny sack or other device. Experience has shown that water may be 

 most efl'ectively applied by a hand spray pump. This pump throws a stream 

 20 or 80 feet and makes it possible to apply the water exactly where it is most 

 needed. The pump can be purchased at prices varying from $3 to |4.50. They 

 are extensively used by farmers in the Northeast. Collapsible pails are ex- 

 cellent for carrying water, because of their lightness and compactness. Or- 

 dinary metal water pails are commonly used by farmers, and are much cheaper 

 than collapsible pails. 



When water must be brought over mountain trails special water sacks 

 are used, which can be slung on a pack saddle. Water kegs adapted to pack 

 horses have been tried in Pennsylvania. Where there are passable roads water 

 is hauled in barrels or in specially constructed tanks. 



Patent fire extinguishers have also been used in fighting fires. These 

 throw a stream of water from 15 to 20 feet. The stream is chemically charged, 

 so that it is very effective in putting out flames which would be little affected 

 by ordinary water. In practice a crew is provided with several extinguishers, 

 a supply of water, and extra chemical charges. As soon as an extinguisher is 

 emptied it is reloaded, so that there may be a continuous play along the line of 

 fire. In case of an ordinary fire running through grass or leaf litter, one ex- 

 tinguisher will put out 200 feet of flame. 



A very good method in fighting running surface fires, where there is not 

 much slash, is to make a narrow trace in front of the fire by raking to one 

 side the leaves and other litter. As soon as the fire reaches the trace it is 

 checked and readily beaten out. Sometimes, on level land and in open woods, 

 a furrow is i>lowed as an emergency fire line. (PI. VII, fig. 2.) This same 

 principle is used to check fires burning through young growth and brush 

 where it is difficult to get at the flames. A narrow lane is cut through the 

 brush ahead of the fire. This gives a space where the crew can work without 

 hindrance. As soon as the fire approaches, it is attacked by all the crew with 

 the various fighting devices with which they may be provided. 



