Forest Fires 67 



The golden rule in fire-fighting is to attack the 

 fire when it is starting. So the ranger or forest 

 guard, riding his line, is ever on the watch for 

 smoke, and his routes of patrol are so laid out that 

 a wide landscape can be observed from them. 



Suppose he sees a thin column of smoke rising 

 through the tree-tops. The first thing he must 

 do is to determine by the aid of his compass the 

 exact location of the fire. Then if there is a tele- 

 phone within reach he gets into communication 

 with some other ranger who is near enough to 

 give prompt help. Here and there in the national 

 forests are boxes containing the tools which fire- 

 fighters need — shovels for throwing earth on the 

 flame (Fig. 21), rakes with which to draw leaves 

 and sticks out of the fire's path, axes and saws to 

 fell trees, which will become fuel if left standing, 

 and canteens for the men. Here and there on 

 high places in the national forests watch towers 

 have been built overlooking the tree-tops. Each 

 national forest has been carefully mapped, and 

 these maps show the location of tool boxes and 

 telephone lines, as well as the exact position of 

 lookout towers, roads, trails, and ranger stations. 



Year by year, the mischief done by fires grows 

 less, and this betterment is largely owing to the 

 watchfulness and energy of forest officers. In the 

 effort to master flames, men have forgotten their 

 own need of food and sleep and have undergone 

 dangers as great as ever were faced by troops on 



