Conservation Commission 171 



Fire Districts and District Forest Kangers 



The Fire Towns are divided into five districts, four in the 

 Adirondack region and one in the Catskill region, as follows : 



District 1. Clinton, Franklin and the northern half of Essex 

 counties. 



District 2. Southern Essex, Warren, Washington and north- 

 western Hamilton counties. 



District 3. St. Lawrence, Oneida, Lewis, northern Herkimer 

 and northwestern Hamilton counties. 



District 4. Fulton, Saratoga, southern Herkimer and southern 

 Hamilton counties. 



District 5. Delaware, Greene, Sullivan and Ulster counties. 



An officer designated as district forest ranger is appointed for 

 each district and has his headquarters at a suitable point within 

 the district. Lie is paid a salary of $1,500 a year, and is allowed 

 his necessary traveling expenses. The district ranger is charged 

 with the duty of protecting the forests within his district from 

 fire. A force of forest rangers is appointed for each district and 

 the district ranger is in charge of those men. All fire bills must 

 be approved by him before they can be audited for payment. He 

 directs the work of the ranger force in the field and advises the 

 commission as to the division of his territory into patrol districts. 

 All ranger reports are forwarded to the district ranger, and must 

 pass through his hands before they are sent in to the Albany office. 



Forest Eangers 



The actual fire fighting force is made up of a number of men 

 known as forest rangers, who are appointed by the commission 

 and are paid at the rate of $60 per month. These men devote their 

 entire time to the work of the department. During the fire season, 

 that is, from May to November, between 65 and 70 forest rangers 

 are employed, about fifteen for each Adirondack district, and ten 

 for the Catskill district. 



All the rangers are stationed where they can be readily reached 

 by telephone. When a ranger is notified of a fire, he goes to it at 

 once, or as soon as he can gather together a crew of fire fighters. 



