8 METHODS OF COMMUNICATION FOR FOREST PROTECTION 



again, minutes count and every possible measure is taken to see that none are lost. 

 If he travels on foot, his pack is ready to be instantly shouldered. After careful 

 study and experiment a " smoke chaser's " pack, containing all essentials for three 

 days and the tools needed 1 for fighting a fire, has been devised to weigh only 21 

 pounds. If he can use a horse, it stands ready saddled and bridled; if he travels by 

 power boat, it floats at his dock fully equipped. His only duty is to leave instantly, 

 get to the fire in the least possible time, and d"o everything in his power to put it 

 under control. 



Section 9 Supervision of Protection Forces 



The " smoke chaser," however, is only the first or skirmish line of defence. 

 Back of him stands the whole organized control force, the entire man-power of the 

 community where this system has been most highly developed. This brings up the 

 fourth function, that of Supervision. For the successful operation of a specialized 

 protective force it is essential that the function of Supervision be performed by a 

 permanent staff. In order to provide year-long employment economically this staff 

 must necessarily be incorporated in the organization which is concerned 1 with the 

 woods operations. Private owners can incorporate it in their logging crews; govern- 

 ments, in the scaling or inspection staff. This is a particularly easy problem in 

 Canada where logging is confined almost exclusively to the winter season and fire- 

 ranging almost wholly to the season when logging ceases. 



Keeping in mind the military analogy already alluded to, it will be evident that 

 the supervising staff is nothing more or less than a skeleton organization composed 

 wholly of officers, which organization can be rounded into a complete defensive unit 

 by calling upon a large body of assistants of various degrees of training, according 

 to the necessities of the season. In a region where anything in the nature of 

 permanent settlement is found, this training may, indeed, be carried to considerable 

 lengths and the efficiency of the force greatly enhanced. 



It will be realized, however, in studying the details of forest protection work 

 that it divides rather distinctly into two general classes. There is on the one hand 

 the more strictly administrative duties which fall to the various supervising officers. 

 These include the day-by-day supervision of the work of prevention and detection 

 forces ; the inspection of field conditions ; study of fire conditions and labour supply ; 

 preparation and revision of mobilization schemes; the supply of provisions to field 

 forces ; direction of construction on improvement projects and various other activities 

 not concerned with the actual process of fighting fires, but either preventive in 

 character or in the nature of preparation for fighting fires that are anticipated. 



On the other hand there is the actual forest fire-fighting, mostly on a small scale 

 in a smoothly running organization but sometimes on a very large scale and with 

 crews of considerable size. This, too, will as a rule be under the direction of the 

 same supervisory officer, although in some cases the actual executive work on the 

 fire-line is placed in the hands of a fire-line foreman while the supervisory officers 

 devote their attention to co-ordinating the various auxiliary services and determining 

 the general strategy of the fire-control operations. Here is seen a distinct develop- 

 ment of staff and line functions as will be hereinafter explained. 



Section 10 Duties of Supervising Officers 



It will be readily apparent that the duties and responsibilities of the supervisory 

 officer in a specialized staff are much more extensive and call for a far more careful 

 training than those of any grade of employee in a non-specialized force, or even in 

 the other units of his own organization. He must be more carefully selected, more 

 highly trained, and, naturally, better paid. His duties in connection with fire preven- 

 tion are as follows: 



