3° 2 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



be designated as the Supervisor of Firewardens, or Chief Firewarden, and whose time 

 and services shall be devoted exclusively to the proper organization, supervision and 

 direction of the firewardens, of whom there are 281 in the forest towns, not including 

 district wardens. This official in the course of his duties would have the opportunity 

 of visiting the place where each fire occurred, and making a proper examination as to 

 its cause, extent and damage, and to institute whatever prosecution might be neces- 

 sary for a violation of the fire law. He should see that in each case the warden fills 

 out his blank report, and that it states all the facts connected with the case. He 

 should scrutinize the bill of each warden for the services of the posse ordered out at 

 the fire, and see that the number of men charged for and other items are correct. He 

 should have supervision of the bills rendered by the various towns against the State in 

 reimbursement for half of the expenses paid by them for the extinction of forest fires, 

 as now provided by law. By careful attention to the latter requirements, a competent 

 official would save to the State a sum greater than his salary. Furthermore, in 

 fulfillment of the requirements of the law, he should see that whenever a vacancy 

 occurs in the list of firewardens that the place should be promptly filled, by recom- 

 mending some person who has not only had experience in fighting fire, but, also, one 

 who will command the respect and obedience of a posse of fellow citizens when it is 

 necessary to order them out to fight fire. In further compliance with the requirements 

 of the fire law, he should see that every forest town is properly divided into small 

 districts, and a district firewarden, properly located, appointed in each. During his 

 spare time, while at the Albany office, he should prepare maps of each town showing 

 the subdivisions into fire districts, on which should be noted the residence of the 

 district firewarden. He should also attend to the distribution, among the firewardens, 

 of the printed notices containing the rules and regulations of the Forestry Department 

 in relation to the prevention and extinction of forest fires, and should see that these 

 notices are thoroughly and properly posted throughout the woodland districts of the 

 Adirondack and Catskills. The Forestry Law, furthermore, provides that this De- 

 partment shall "have charge of the public interests of the State with regard to 

 forestry, and especially with reference to forest fires in every part of the State." As the 

 latter clause is mandatory in its character, it should be the duty of the supervisor of 

 firewardens to obtain annually the list of the supervisors of every town in the State 

 outside the counties mentioned in the Forest Preserve Act, and furnish each with 

 printed instructions regarding his duties as a firewarden, cx-officio, as prescribed in 

 the forestry law. He should, furthermore, require and obtain of each supervisor 

 annually a statement as to whether or not any forest fires have occurred in his town, 

 and, if there has been one, a report of the same properly filled out on the blank forms 

 furnished by this Commission for that purpose. As the law governing this Depart- 



