ANNUAL REPORT 1914 7 



gathering data for a report to the District Forester. 



It has been my privilege to read this report and I have se- 

 cured Mr. Holcomb's permission to incorporate it, and the maps, 

 charts and diagrams accompanying it, in our own report of the 

 season's operations. 



I have been reading fire reports for a great many years but 

 to my mind this report of Mr. Holcomb's is more complete in 

 detail, shows a keener analytical thought and handles and disposes 

 of the subject in better shape than anything of the kind I have 

 ever read. 



I particularly recommend this report to your careful con- 

 sideration and will publish it herewith in full in lieu of any report 

 of our own on the fires it covers. The charts and diagrams ac- 

 companying it are particularly interesting. 



There are several ways in which it seems to me that we can 

 improve our policies and methods in the light of this year's ex- 

 perience. 



LOSS OF TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT . 



We had over $700.00 worth of equipment and tools lost, 

 broken, worn out and stolen during the past season. This is out 

 of all reason, even after considering and making allowances for 

 .the exigencies of the circumstances under which the equipment 

 and tools were rushed in to the fire crews. ^After the Bovill 

 fires literally dozens of axes, shovels, saws, and mattocks were 

 found in the burned over area. Almost all of these tools were 

 so damaged by the extreme heat that they were not -worth trying 

 to repair. 



Certainly some method should be devised to stop such heavy 

 losses of this kind. I believe that it would be well .worth while 

 whenever we have a large fire in the future to detail as many men 

 as necessary to keep a close check on all tools used, and it might 

 be well to have such men patrol the fire lines constantly and to 

 have one or more tool clerks at the fire camps to give out and 

 receive tools whenever the men leave or return to camp. 



IMPROVEMENT IN TIMEKEEPING NEEDED 



During all large fires, when men of all kinds are rushed in 

 from any place they can be picked up, are hastily assigned to 

 crews under straw bosses and foremen who have never seen them 

 before and then scattered out over fire trails of from ten to thirty 

 miles in length, it has always seemed to me that our organization 

 is weak in the matter of timekeeping. 



Of course I realize the importance of getting the men to the 



