158 Third Annual Report of the 



with too few. It should always be borne in mind that the time 

 to attack a fire is when it starts, and that the loss of a few minutes 

 at that time may mean hours or even days of work later, not to 

 mention the loss of property caused by the fire, should it attain 

 large proportions. 



Here is where the fire fighting experience and knowledge of the 

 nature of forest fires which the ranger may have will stand him 

 in good stead. He will need to know that : 



1. Fire travels much faster uphill than down. 



2. It travels rapidly before the wind, but only slowly against it. 



3. A lar^e amount of inflammable material on the ground 

 means a hot fire which cannot be approached closely. 



4. The severity of the fire depends largely upon the character 

 of the timber. 



5. The hotter the fire the farther away from it the fire line will 

 have to be started. 



6. Fires, and the winds which accompany them, die down at 

 night and spring up again in the forenoon. Evening and early 

 morning are the best times to attack fires, and the crew should be 

 so organized that the maximum number of men will be available 

 for work at these times. 



The ranger in charge must pick out some lines within which he 

 thinks it possible to control the fire. Roads, trails, streams, 

 swamps, railroads, fire lines, or topographic features may give him 

 the opportunity to make a stand. If the flames cross his first line 

 of attack, he must be prepared to fall back at once and start a 

 new one, and so on, frequently again and again, until the fire is 

 finally checked. 



As soon as it becomes advisable for a ranger to employ extra 

 help, he must begin to consider the question of organization, in 

 order that he may secure the highest possible degree of efficiency 

 from his men. He must see that arrangements are made for feed- 

 ing and lodging his crew in the immediate vicinity of the fire. 

 Fire fighting is arduous labor at best, and it is impossible for men 

 to do their best work on the fire line if they have to walk long dis- 

 tances to and from work. The ranger should have provisions and 

 a camp outfit sent in to the fire from the nearest available source. 



