For fighting fires in the vast territory outside the state forests, the 

 36 counties in the forest fire area have been grouped by Fire Warden 

 John Baird into 10 divisions, each a fire district in charge of a deputy 

 fire warden, who lives somewhere in his district. Assisting the 10 

 deputy fire wardens are 39 special men, apportioned among the dis- 

 tricts, and one inspector of railroad rights of way for t'he whole terri- 

 tory. These men serve all the year round. To these 50 men add, for 

 the fire season, 42 game and "fish wardens on the' regular payroll who 

 are instructed to give especial attention to forest fire fighting in the 

 season. All are under direct command of the State Fish, Game and 

 Forest Fire Commissioner. 

 COST OF FIRE FORCE. 



This completes the standing fire fighting force to contend with fires 

 raging sporadically over an area four times the size of Massachusetts, 

 and burning on the average every year an area equal to a common 

 sized county. Burning in spite of the fire fighters and the fire fight- 

 ing. When fires rage large or become epidemic, casuals are called 

 out for the emergency, and the state and townships jointly foot the 

 bill. 



This leads to a consideration of the finances of fire fighting and 

 begins to let the light in on the question, what might, as a matter of 

 plain business, be spent on this work. 



ARTICLE V. 



The plain evidence of the records is that Michigan's forest fire- 

 fighting business has suffered because of its partnership with the state's 

 game department. It has been subordinated. That is the fact obvious 

 to a person looking at the whole situation with an eye keen for prop- 

 erty values. 



Without minimizing the worth of fish and game propagation, it will 

 be found, when the balance is struck, that the sportsman's interests are 

 accounted a very large figure in the total. 



By comparison forest fire protection in North Michigan shows up 

 scantily beside game protection. 



ONLY 50 FIREMEN. 



The state provides the State Fire Warden, who is also Fish 

 anil Game Warden, with 50 men as a standing fire protection force. 

 And the area which these 50 men must "protect" is that from the north 

 line of the counties of Arenac-to-Mason up to the straits, across the 

 straits and westward through the Upper Peninsula to the Wisconsin 

 border. You could set New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and 

 Connecticut down on top of that territory and not much of them would 

 get wet. 



In the fire season 42 fish and game wardens turn in to help the fire- 

 men, but they have their fish and game laws to enforce meantime. 



This is the skeleton organization, filled in when crises arise by im- 

 pressment of help from the towns and farms. It should bemadded that 

 there are or were last season eight horsemen of the State Con- 

 stabulary operating from one point over one of the worst areas; out 

 of Pellston and through the northwest counties of the Lower Penin- 

 sula, acting as rangers to enforce the fire laws*, educate the public and 

 give warning of incipient fires. Every township supervisor is also, by 

 effect of the forest fire protection law of 1903, a fire warden. They 

 are seen at their height of action, as a rule, when it comes to drum- 

 ming up volunteers for emergency fire fighting. 



25 t.iiu_ ^ 



