forest fire patrol manual (1942)

8/9/2019 Forest Fire Patrol Manual (1942)

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U . S . O F F IC E O F C I V , I L I A N D E F E N S EWashi"gton, B. C.



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OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE. WASHINGTON, D. C.

JULY 11, 1942

ADMINlSrRATIYB ORDER NO. :47

ESTABLISHMENT OF FOREST FIRE FIGHTERS SERVICE

Pursuant to authority grunted by Executive Order No. 875,7'dated ¥ay ZO, 1941, as amended by' Executive

Order No. !H34 of April 15" 1942, and Executive Order No. 9165 of 'May HI', 1942', the Dlreetor of Civilian

Defense hereby canflrma the establiahmcnt, within the Office of Civilian Defense, of the Forest Fire Fightercs

Servi·ce.

1. Pssrpee«.

The Forest Fire Pighters Service has been eenablsahed, in accordance with the policy of the Facility Security

Program of the Office of Civil-ian Defense, to safeguard forest lunda and other tilllber facilrtics and resources,

to prevent and control fires which might end,anger such facllitie.s and resources, and to minimize the effects of

any such firea, It shall cooperate with the forest fire protectron agencies of the Department of Interior and

Department of Agricultw:e. wi.th State .Forestry afiicials, and private forest fire pfotective Drganizations.

:1 . Ih>si~.l1e.

The baSIC insigne pr escrtbed far the Forest Fire .F~ighters Service shall consist of a pine tree, in. red, placed

in the center of a white equilateral triangle embossed Dna circular field of blue, The basic insigne may be

included in arm bands and brassards, lapel pins and but.tons, sleeve insigne for uniforms" collar and cap

emblems for uniforms, automobile stickers and plates, and Cer tlficates of Membership. The Use and wear of

all official ar+iclea embodying the prescribed, insigne shall be governed by Office of Civilian Defense Regulations

No.2 and any other rules, regulefiona, orders, .or instructions iasued by the Director.

3. Ortanj~ationaCId St1;pertlision.

(a) The Forest Fire Fighters Service shall operate under the supervision of the Office of Civilian, Defense,

Facility Security Branch, and shall be directed by the Timber and Related Facilities Committee which shall

consist of appropriate officials in. the Department of Interior and fbe Department of Agriculture, appointed by'

. sud responsible to the Dir ector of Civilian De:fens.e.

(b) The Director of Civilian Defense shall appoint, upon the recommendation of the TImbernnd Related

Facilitiea Committee, a National Coordinator of the Forest Fir·e Fig-b'ters Service to direct: its operations subject

to the Ti.nlber and Related FaeilitIes Commirtee, .andsucn National Cccrdmat er shaH appoinr, with the

approval of the Director of Civilian Defense, State Coordinators fr-orn Federal, State D. private forest fire

protection agencies.

(c) The State Coor dirratoraeb.all appoint Local Coordinators from Federal, State or private forest fire

protection agencies.

(d) The Local Ceerdinators sha):lappoint :U-om the enrolled membership a . I : ' the Foresr Fire Fighters

Ser:vice. within each locality, a Squad Leader who 'Wit t have under his control R working unit of from 8 to 10

Fore.st F'ire Fighter,s.

James M. Landis,

Director.



, ,

F O R E S T F I R E F I G H T E R S S E R V I C E ( F F F S )

IOffice of CivIl ian Defense

I.C.D.

II I I

CIYil Civ[)ian United States Uni

Ail' Ddense· Citixens CPatrol AUlClH-l lry Sorviee

Groups Cot:ps

C. A.P.C.D. A.~. C. 8. C.

Forest fires-20Q,OOO of them-annually attack

the forest resources of the nation during peace-

time) requiring the cooperation of all public-

spirited citizens to combat them. In wartime,

with the possibility of incendiary bombing and

ground sabotage as added threats, the need for

widespread civilian participation in the fight

against fire is even more imperative. Forest fires

destroy timber needed for war; they may threaten

military and industrial establishments; forest fire

smoke may mask enemy attack or interfere with

our air operations. The Forest Fire Fightere

Service was established (see Administrative Order

No. 27, opposite page) to help the established for-

est fire protection agencies meet the present war

emergency fire situation. By becoming a part of

this organization individuals can contribute their

share toward protection of OUr forest resources

which are so vital to the war job.

S T A T U S O F T H E F F F S

The FFFS is one of the five basic Civilian De-

fense Groups as illustrated below.

PilotsOl>serveraRadiomenMech"oie.Guards, etc.

DoctorsNursesClergyRe,porteTsPbctogr apbera, etc.

HealthCrulll careRo-using'SIli.y·ageWar BondsTransport ..tlOfi

F O R E S T F IR E F IG H T E R ,S S E R V IC E

41l1&7l!·-42

P U R; P O S E O F T :H E F F F S

It is the purpose of the organization to:

L Provide fire fighters, equipped and

trained, to augment the forest protec-

tion agencies of the locality.

. 2 ' . Acquaint the people in the area with

their responsibility in fire prevention

and suppression.

3. Provide an opportunity for people inand

near forested areas to participate in

the war effort.

This auxiliary force will be registered under the

direction of the Office of Civilian Defense, and

will be trained, classified. and certified by the

established forest protection agencies, for enroll-

ment by the O. C. D.

Organization of the auxiliary force into an effi-

cient, trained and properly equipped forest fire

fighting reserve and the direction, of these forces

in fire-control work will be the duty of regularly

established Federal, State and private forest pro-

tection organizations.

ted States

Iti~~nYDefe:ll5eCorps

F"rest

EireFI.gotersService

C.D. C. F.F..F. S.

Air raid wardensAu.xiliary policeAuxlliary firemenFire watchers .

ReseueMod-LOllI , OCC.

Fire FightersSquad Le Bders.speei ..lists

1



R E lA T ID N S H l l l P O F T H E F ' F F S , T O T H E

P R O T E C T IO N A G E N C ,IE S

I

I I

The agencies responsible for protecting the for-

ested lands of the nation from forest fires are ~

Department of Agriculture:

United States Forest Service.

Soil 'Conservation Service.

Department of Interior:

National Pat k Service.

Indian Service.

Fish and Wildlife Service.

General Land Office...

Grazing Service.

Tennessee Valley Authority.

States:

State forestry agencies.

County forestry agencies.

Private timber owners:

Private timber protection assoeiations,

Federal agencies, such as the Department of

Agriculture and the Department of the Interior,

have full jurisdictien. on certain tracts of land for

which they assume responsibility for forest fire con-

trol. The Bta tes own or control certain lands,

which they protect and inaddition they provide

protection. thro1.'!.gh State and private funds and

contributed Federal funds, to Iarge areas of pri-

vately owned lands. In many areas the political

subdivisions within a State are charged with the

responsibility for fire protection and are financedand equipped to carry out fire fighting activities.

The Extension Service of the Department of Agri-

culture ia responsible for organizing protection o n .

farm~ and itccoperates in the organization of the

FFFS.

In scme areas private interests provide organ-

ized protection for their own lands through pro-

tection asaociericns.

All of these agencies are responsible for the pre-

vention and suppression of fires within the bonn-

daries of their particular units. and in most cases

have made cooperative arrangements so that in

flreemergencies they can work in. close harmonywith each other in all phases of fire fighting

activities.

The members of the Forest Fire F'ighters Service

will function in cooperation with a.nd under

the guidance of the forest protection agency con-

cerned. Specifically, units of the FFFS win serve

under the immediate direction of the "Local Co

ordinator" who in all cases will be an officer of one

of the local protection. agencies in accordance with

the chart on the opposite page.

D U T I E S A N I D I R E S P ' O : N S I B ' I U I T I E S O F T H E

F O R E S T F . IR E F IG H T E R

1. Assist in tne prevfmt:ion of forest, brush,

and gr.ass tires.-The Forest Fire Fighter wil

personally exercise every care in the use of fire

and he will aid in the education of his neighbors"

school children, and the general public in the need

for preventing fires.

2. P,artic.ipate in the training program.-

In addition to giving his own time to secure train-

ing, he will, incase he is selected as a squad Ieader,

help tra;in men in his locality to assist hint in thedischarge of his duties.

3. Help to control iOl'est, brush, an.d grass

.fires.-The Forest Fire Fighter will be on call to

g, P to a fire and work on ituntil released by the

responsi ble protection officer.. The Forest Fire

Fighter, when engaged in his normal civilian

occupations, will be constantly on the alert and

in case he discovers a fire he will take initialactionto suppress the fire and will notifY the proper

protection OffiC~8 •.

Members of the Forest Fire Fighters Servicewill be required to complete satisfactorily a mini-

mum of 12 hours of training before becoming

eligible for certification by the Local Coordinator

of the Forest Fire Fighters Service. Experience

and previous training may, in the judgment of the

Coordinator, be substituted for the required

'I:l'Mning.;- J

The training of Forest FireFighters will be

given by and will follow a plan prepared by the

officers of the protectienagency concerned, The

points below are suggested for inclusion in forest

fire control training programs, Additional points

may be added to meet localaitua tions andfi.re

control conditions. The amount of actual. exper-

ience required for all members cannot be pre-

scribed, but it will be such as to assure the compe-

tency of the fire fighters for the duties which they

will be calledon to perform.

F O R E S T F IR E F IG H T E R S S E R V ID E



Local. - ----- - - - I Leea l Coo_rd3natot'

1 - - ,Agricu1 tore

Defense F.F.F.S. Admini~tri.\t1ve

COUIl"'I' Unit Offici als

I- InteriorAdminlstr'atlveUnit Offidals

I Squad Le...der

1orest 'Fire Fighters

StatJ! DIstrictI- A<imln.istr;J.tive

OfficIals

I INDIV1bU AL

JI-

Pr-iva.te Prereceien

District AdministrativeFOREST FIRE FtGHTER Officials

. ,

FOREST FIRE FIGHTERS SERVICE

Dlree eor (i~

C l v l U " , . , D e f e n s e

Facility Security Branch

ITimber and,

R el a t e d R a c l l iefesCommittee

Fa eili tY Security Program

,

1

Nati<>pal Cooedlnarer

1

F. F, F. S.

1

St"t~ CoordinatorF. F. F. S.

1.

D _ e _ p _ " _ r D n e n _ t _ o _ f _ t _ h _ O - - J I -nterior "

"RegionalOfficesOeD

StateDefenseCounef ls

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f O R E S T F I R E F I G H T E R S S E R V I C E

Department ofAgriculture

InteriorRegiona.!Officials

: - - 1~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~

StateForesters.

Private ProtectionAssocta.dona

9



CO R R EC1,&0 Q~A.c:rr--.~-FOREST FIRE' FIGHTERS SERVICE

TIM lER AND RELA,TEO

FA.CU.IT1ES COMMITTEE FACILITY SECUAITV BP..

- FACILIT'II' seCU'RITV V 0 C 0

" , . . . . . . . " _ A i _ O _ ~ ~7_R_A_~~ --'r _ _ _ . _ I - - - - ,

NATIONAL COOROI NATOR RE610 NAL O~F=ICE

,- FFFS oeD

I

A.CTION ORGANIZATION

O(PART""'iNT ~_

o r: Tio le I,NTERloa

DEPARTMENT

OF AGRICU'LTUqE

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I: PRIV.6.TE P~OTECTj:9' Nl___ OI,$TAIC_'1:.ADMI NIS,TRATWE

• OFFICIALS

STATE,ITATI "E'FElnE COOJ:lOINATOR I

COUNCIl. FFF5

LOCALLoeAL 'DEFENSE OOOR D ' NATOR

COUNCIL FFFS

, NO IV IOUAL

FOREST FIRI FIGHTER

TO REPLACE ~AGIi s ''-I 't;l'A""PHlsr


OFF=ICE OF CIVII.IAN D,FetJl.I, ."

. .

POLlCV ORGANltATION

OF=FICE OF

CIVILIAN DEFENse

I

AGRICULTURE REGIONAL

OFFICIALS

INTE'AIOR REGION,Al

OFFICiAlS

PRIVATE PROTECTION

ASSOCIAilONS

AGRICULTURE

ADMINISTRATIVE

U:N'IT OFI=IOIAL'5

INTERIOR

ADMINI STRATIVE

UNIT OFFiCI ALS

STATE DISTRICT

ADMINISTRATIVE

UNIT OFI=ICIAL9



W H A T T H E F IR E F IG H T E R N . E E D S T O K N O W

1. The type of organization of the established

forest protection agency concerned, Federal, State,

county town or private.

2. The plan for forest fire control covering the

area served by his FFFS unit, and how this plan

is coordinated vvith .adjoinin.g areas ..

3. The glossary of forest fire terms common to

the local area.

4. The common causes of forest fires.

5. The approved methods and objectives of

forest fire prevention.

6. The damages caused by forest fires both at

the time of the fire and in the years following.

7. Tho dangers of forest fire fighting and the

safety factors involved.

g. The methods used in . locating forest fires and

how dispatehin g action is set up.9.. Fire behavior as effected by types of cover,

by topography, and by weather elements.

10. The safe and efficient use of the hand tools

incommon use inthe area.

11. The extinguishing action of sand and water

on burning material.

12. Crew organization and action.

The training officer will provide actual practice

in building control lines with hand tools and power

equipment, and will give the inexperienced or

untrained fire fighter instruction in the use and

care of forest fire fighting equipment.

The local protection. agency will supply fire-fighting equipment and material for this training.

Special equipment for training, such as posters,

charts, ma:nua1s,etc.. will be developed by the

protection agency concerned with the training.

All training must be simple and positive and deal

explicitly with the problems encountered in the

area concerned.

I •

H O W T O J D . l N T H E F F F S

Eligibility

All citizens of the United States and friendly

aliens approved by local Civilian Defense Councilsare eligible, provided that requirements of mini-

mum age and standards ofphysical ability aremet

as determined by the State Coordinator and

enforced by the local Defense Council enrolling

office.

..L\.pplleation (including oath)

L Fill out the application blank in this publi-

cation, or secure a similar one from your local

Defense CounciL

2. Turn in your application to the nearest

Defense Council office or to the office of a forest

protection agency.

Registration:

Receipt of the application for membership by the

local Defense Council will constitute registration.

C·ertifieation:

Upon completion of the prescribed registration

and training, the Local Coordinator will certify the

individual to the local Defense Council for member-

.ship in the Forest Fire. Fighters Service.

Enrolbncnt,:

Upon certification the applicant will be enrolled

by the local Defense Council for membership and

issued the identification card shown by the speci-

men below, which entitles him to Wear and use the

standard Forest Fire Fighters Service arm band

and other insigne.

4, F O R E S T F I R E F I G H T E R S S E R V I C E



f , ~ I


A PP LIC AT IO N F OR M ,E MB ER SH IP

Tear This Out and Take

It to Your Local De-

fense Council

1. Name ------_ - --- - - - - - --- - -- --------(L8.t) (First) (Mid.d1e)

2. Home address - - - -- --- - - --------

3 . Business addr~ _

4 , . Telephone -- - -- - --- - - -- --_ - -- - --_----- - ----- -- -- -----(Home) ,(Busin","s) (Other)

5. Next of kin --- -- -- -- ---- - -- -- ----- - ---- ----- ----(Name) (Ad,drell')

6,. Date of birth . 7. Place of birth; _

8. Ifforeign born, state when and how naturalized _

9. HeighL . 10. WeighL _

11. Have you any physical defects? - - - -- - -- ----- ---

12. What is the present state of your health? ----- -- - -- - - ---

13. What is your trade or profession? - -- " - ---- - ----- -- - ----- ----- ---

14. Can you operate a Tractor? Bulldozer? Power Pump? _

Automobile? __________ _ Truck? ________ _____ Portable Radio?, _

Portable Telephone? __ __ ___ _ Typewriter? _

IS . Have you ever had fire fighting experience or training? (describe) _

16. What equipment do you now own? _

Hand tools? _

Power equipment? _

17. Have you a driver's license'? _

18. Do you own an automobile? Motorcycle? Horses? _

I hereby make application for enlistment in the Forest Fire Fighters Service. I, _

_____ _ , solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the

United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the

same: that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; that I

win well and faithfully discharge I;l1Yduties as a member of the Forest Fire Fighters Service; and that I

do not advocate, and have not advocated, the overthrow of our constitutional form of government in

the United States by force or violence.Signed, _

Approved _

(Coordinator)

State of , _

F O R E S T F IR E F IG H T E R S S E R V IC E



I j , "

Applioant will leave the fol1owing spaces blank:

Work qualified for I

L _

2. _

R E M A R K S

6 F O R E S T F IR E F IG H T E R S S E :R V I . C



· ,

SAMPLE

Enrollment No.


of

(County) (State)

This certifies that

(Name)

(Addres.)

(Oc.rupa#on)

is enrolled in the Forest Fire Fighters Service of the Office of

Civilian Defense and entitled to wear and use its insigne.

(SigtUlture of Representative of Local 'Defense Council)

[T (> b e p ri n t ed on whi te e n r d ~; 31 1 z by 2 1 / 4 inches J

Although thes,,- id en tifica tio n c ard s are o ffk lal <;lJticlu bear in g p res c ri bed insigne; as d efin ed by Regulatio ns No .2 o f fhe

O ffie.e o f C iy ilian D efen se, perm issio n is gran ted fo r their m an ufacture an d sale w itho ut o btain in g licen se fro m the W ash-

ingto n O ffice. C ord s sho uld be o rd ered by L o cal D efen se C oun cils fro m respo nd ble co mpan ie$ so Q$ to <:rnure accurate

reproduetion gndtoBuard a9<1inst I.,"authorized delivery,

F O R E S T F I R E F I G H T E R S S E R V I C E "I



1. SMOKE ONLY while stop-

ping in safe places. com-

pletely cleared of dry or

inflammable materials.Observe "No Smoking'"

roUes U n those forest areas

closed to smoking.

4. BEFORE BUILDING

CAMPFIRE, scrape away

all inflammable material

from a spot 5 feet in diam-

eter. Dig a hole in the

center and in it build your

fire. Keep it small,

I ,

6. NEVER BURN BRUSH

INWINDY WEATHER.

Besure you can control it.

Take. absolutely no

chances. Secure permit

from forest officer.

F O R E S T F I R E P R E Y 'E N T IO N , R U L E S

2. BREAK YOUR MATCH

IN TWObeforeyou throw

it away. This makes sure

that the match is out.

c a r e le s s m a t c h e s li d t h e A l i s

P R E Y E I T F O R E S T F I R E S !

7, PUT OUT ANY SMALL

FIRES YOU CAN.

3. BE SURE YOUR CIGA

RETTE STUB IS OUT

before throwing it away

The same goes for pipetobacco. Never throw

them into grass, brush o

leaves.

5. PUT OUT CAMPFIRE-

DEAD OUT-before you

leave. Stir the coals whilsoaking them with water

Turn small sticks and

drench both sides. We

the ground around the fire

Be sure the last spark i

dead.

8. REPORT FIRES AT

ONCE. Time ismost im

portant. Get to the near-

est telephone and call the

nearest forest ranger o

State fire warden,

REMEMBER; A burning match. a glowing cigarette, a smoldering campfire can be

just as disastrous to our forests as, an incendiary bomb. Do yoUl' part .

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J . f f i J A N 27 1943 U

forest fire patrol manual (1942)

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