was 38 men. Thin nuraber added to our regular force of 9 

 Rancors placed 47 nen In the fioLl dvring t v s period Jn 

 which they were raont needed. Our 5-monthc, 3-r.orths, ar.O. 

 r-r.onthB men were selected locally and wore for the trout 

 part ron who had an interest in the country. 



I believe, the enployr.ent of local -en for abort 

 pericio of service, is a decided advantage if the right 

 TOP. can be had, since it hao a tendency to bring the 

 residents in closer touch with the airo anJ jrurrones of 

 the Forest Service. Favorablo local sonti* ent ic certainly 

 a valuable anoot in fire protection and this I have found 

 we can rrore easily gain by employing local ran for ovr fire 

 protection force, regardless of the Civil Corvico 15.st. 



Our reconnaissance &nC ircprove'-ent wor 1 : was as 

 far as possible rads auxiliary to protection. ' ercbors of 

 tho reconnaissance party arrived at, tool: charge of, ancl 

 extinguished one fire in particular that otherwise v/ould 

 undoxtbtedly havo been a serious one, In another instance, 

 a patrolman, with the assistance of two Poroet Gervice 

 tra.il workers.. \?as barely able to control a fire that 

 burned over 20 acres. This fire woxild have been highly 

 dootructive if it had not been for tVese ter.-porarr ^en, 

 since there was no other help r;ithin a day'e ride. V7ould 

 it not be advisable in sote oases, vhere cottiers cannot 

 bo secured ao fire fighters, to ctation several ^en to- % 

 gather,- one or two alrmye remaining at tho patrol station 

 within telephone call? 



A comparison of our fire record for the last two 

 years shov/s 17 per cent of our fires in 1910 vere set by 

 lightning, while nearly 3C per cent in 1311 were fron the 

 oare cause. One electrical' storm in August started 17- 

 fireo in one district within two hours. These i/cre all 

 htuxlled,- the largest one burning over 10 acros before it 

 tfaa stopped, -..'hile thooe firea v?ere all controlled, t'^e 

 Dictrict ilanger stated afterwards that ? : e bgan to thini 

 there were larf.,3 Jtoloa in our fire plan, the -.ray things 

 were "coining." 



In another instance, about the riddle of one 

 afternoon, a younf, felloe, v/hile hunting, nilfully net out 

 four Tires all within half a raile distance. These firee 

 -ore reported airO:Tt simultaneously by noveral lookouts 

 an^. were also seen by a rurrar yf rjatrol nen. Four Por3t 



V.e firoa lifferont direotiaM, 



ar>2 although they v;sre set at - -ly (?.aj-ir;eroM3 friod 

 of the aurrjrc-:- in a hasardous plftco. they wore all under 

 control before dark. A.A soon nB t>.o firet? were *een to bo 

 under contro' 1 , one o. tl:e officers took up tho trail of 

 the hunter . Ufficulty follovred hir about 



throe niles to his how^ ; aecurinr evidonce rrh.ich lead to 

 h:'3 arrest 



