r.'5 



CHAPTER XIX. 



SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE 

 FOREST PATROL IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



The available funds for this purpose are now used in three ways, 

 viz.: supervisors or officers, regular patrol and exigency patrol. 



One head officer is necessary. Los Angeles is his proper location 

 The other officers should cither be on the mountains during the fire sea- 

 son, supervising the patrol and checking up its work, or removed and 

 the money applied to the increase of the regular patrol. I consider 

 these subordinate officers to cost more than they are worth at present, 

 and especially with so little money available. 



The exigency patrol fund should be applied to the increase of the 

 regular patrol. There are exceptional cases where an emergency or 

 exigency patrol would be an advantage. In such cases interested par- 

 ties are ready to assist the work while the government funds remain 

 inadequate. As a matter of fact all the large forest fires in the past 

 two years have been effectively fought only by private interests such 

 as the Mt. Lowe R. R. Co., Martin's Camp and the San Gabriel Electric 

 Power Co. 



Of the numerous reports I have of the exigency patrol fire work ev- 

 eryone condemns the system. In no case reported to me has a fire 

 been controlled by^n exigency patrol. The funds thus used are wast- 

 ed. The exigency patrol system has congenital defects which render it 

 impossible to make it effective. 



First, Time: No one can gather up a fire patrol in a minute. In 

 this chaparral country, time is the essence of the contract in extin- 

 guishing fire. Forest fires have here three stages; first, when it is 

 small and starting; second, when it is in full force, roaring up the 

 mountain; and third, when it is smouldering at natural fire breaks and 

 creeping over into new territory. The first and third stages are those 

 alone in which the fire can be controlled. Only little side work can be 

 done when a forest fire is in full blast in our brush. 



Now an emergency patrol cannot be organized to reach a forest fire 

 in time to take advantage of the first stage. It is useless or worse at 



