How the Park Fire Organization Operates
HOW THE PARK FIRE ORGANIZATION OPERATES
John F. Aiton
Glacier National Park, established in 1910, lies in northwestern Montana within Flathead and Glacier Counties and includes that part of the Rocky Mountains from the Canadian boundary south to the Great Northern Railway. From the rugged crest of the Continental Divide it descends on the east to the edge of the great plains or prairies and on the west to the dense forests of the Flathead National Forest. Its rugged backbone forms one of the roughest ranges on the Continent, ranging in elevations from 3,000 feet in the lower valleys to peaks towering as high as 10,438 feet.
Glacier National Park embraces an area of 1,583 square miles or 1,013,129 acres. It is bounded on the north by the International Boundary and Waterton International Peace Park; on the east by the Blackfeet Indian Reservation; on the south by the middle fork of the Flathead River and the Great Northern Railway and on the west by the north fork of the Flathead River. The western and southern boundary of the park, from the Canadian border to the Summit of the Divide at Marias Pass, is bordered by the Flathead National Forest. From Marias Pass to the southeast corner near Glacier Park, the park is bounded by the Lewis and Clark National Forest. The eastern boundary from Bison to the Canadian boundary joins the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
The forests on the western slope of the park are composed almost wholly of coniferous species, the predominating species being lodgepole pine, western larch, white pine, alpine fir, Douglas fir, spruce, yellow pine, cedar, hemlock and a few deciduous trees such as cottonwood, alders and paper birch with few patches of aspen, all of which are Pacific coast species. The trees of the east slope are Rocky Mountain species consisting primarily of lodgepole pine, spruce, Douglas fir and limber pine. The timber belt between the open plains and the Alpine meadows on the mountain tops is nearly all inside the park.
In order that this national playground with its vast abundance of many species of animal, bird and plant life, scenic wonders of lakes, waterfalls and natural features be preserved from the ravages of forest fires, it is essential that adequate insurance be provided in the form of fire protection. Frequent lightning storms throughout the park during the summer and the carelessness of campers, fishermen, and "flippers", are menaces that require constant vigil by the park fire organization. An organization to combat fires that may originate and leave a path of destruction in their wake is maintained and handled by the ranger department with the cooperation of other departments in the park and adjoining agencies, such as the Forest Service, Indian Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and State Forestry Department.
The Fire Chief has charge of fire protection and suppression and is directly responsible to the Chief Ranger. During the park season thirteen lookout observers and fourteen fire guards are used primarily for fire detection and suppression. There are thirteen primary lookout towers in the park which are occupied by observers during the fire season, which is usually from about June 15 to September 15. These men are the eyes of the fire organization and a great deal depends upon their ability to see and report all fires and suspicious looking smokes within their vision. Each observer must pass a rigid eye examination before occupying his station. The lookout towers are located at strategic points so that the maximum amount of country can be seen from each. Towers located on extremely high mountains are usually not as effective as the lower towers for the reason that they are often in the fog or clouds and visibility is thus obscured.
The fourteen fire guards go on duty about the same time that the lookouts are manned. These guards are men who have had experience in fighting forest fires and are the first line of defense in the control of fires. They are stationed in guard and patrol cabins. When a fire is reported by the lookout observer, the fire guard is the first man to go to the fire and he is followed by additional men, depending upon various factors influencing the behavior of fires and upon the size of the fire. Trail crews located throughout the park during the summer act as fire guards during periods of high fire danger and each summer they are credited with putting out numerous lightning fires.
When other than the regular fire guards are needed on a fire, other park employees are sent with a foreman. All park employees are trained in the rudiments of firefighting. If necessary, additional men are sent in 25-man units. The Dispatcher is informed by radio of the size and behavior of the fire, whether additional men or supplies are needed, and is given any other information pertaining to its suppression.
The fire Dispatcher is at Headquarters where the central fire cache is located. It is his duty to see that all available men, supplies, and equipment are sent to fires as needed and called for. Often this must be anticipated so that no time will be lost in getting action on the fire.
Planes are used to scout going fires and to look for fires in areas blind to lookouts. Glacier National Park has an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service whereby the park jointly finances the training of smokejumpers. Smoke jumpers are used on fires where the travel time by ground crews exceeds that of air transportation.
So that the Dispatcher may take advantage of all possible factors necessary in the control of fires, considerable information must be available. Maps, called Seen-Area maps, have been prepared showing all of the park area visible to the lookout observers. Whenever the location of a fire is reported by the lookout, the Dispatcher determines by referring to his map whether the fire should be visible to any other lookout, and instructs him to look for the fire. By getting the compass reading of the fire from two lookouts, the exact location of the fire is determined on the map. Forest fuels have been divided into low, medium, and high fuel types, and a map has been preparedclassifying these various types of hazards. Another map, called a type map, has been made which shows the types of forests and other vegetation. Another map, called a Travel Time map, shows the time required to travel to any part of the park. When a fire is located on the first map, a quick inspection of the others tells the dispatcher the class of fuel the fire is burning in, the type of forest cover, and the length of time that it will take to reach the fire. With this information, he can more accurately determine the right kind of equipment and the necessary number of men to be sent.
That one may know when to start building up the protective organization, when to put on emergency guards and lookouts, when fires will spread rapidly, and when threatening storms are liable to pass over the park leaving a series of lightning fires, it is necessary to determine a factor called the daily fire danger and to obtain the daily weather forecast from the U.S. Weather Bureau. Fire danger is classified from one to one hundred, one hundred being the rating for the period of greatest danger. The classification is obtained by reference to a Forest Fire Danger Meter especially prepared by the Forest Service by consideration of certain factors affecting the behavior of fires: the season of the year, probability of lightning storms, visibility, wind velocity, relative humidity, and the measurement of the moisture content in forest fuels which are represented by standard wood cylinders especially made for this purpose. The daily class of fire danger and the daily weather forecast are determining factors in forecasting the behavior of forest fires. The organization and a plan of action are shaped during the fire season as are required to meet the approaching fire danger class from day to day. During the period from June 1 through September, daily fire danger readings are taken at seven fire weather stations located in the park. One such station may be seen in operation at Glacier Park Ranger Station and one near the checking station at the west entrance.
Fire protection has priority over all other activities in Glacier National Park, with the exception of the protection of human life. The fire protection insurance in Glacier National Park involves an annual expenditure of $30,000 for personnel and operation. This does not include the cost of suppression which often amounts to several times that sum.
During the months of July and August when the forests are dry and when the humidity is low, the class of fire danger is high. When this danger reaches class 70 or above, a restriction against smoking while traveling through Glacier National Park is in effect. "No smoking" signs are placed along roads and trails prohibiting smoking while driving along park roads and traveling along park trails. Lighted cigarets, cigars, pipe tobacco or matches thrown on the dry litter, duff and rotten wood may start fires which, if not caught in time, become conflagrations and cause unsightly scars. Transport drivers are required to help enforce the park regulations by requesting their passengers not to smoke while riding in buses in restricted zones when this regulation is in effect. It is the duty of each bus driver to help the protection organization of this park, and by so doing he helps his own organization and himself as well.
As our visitors drive through the park or hike over the hundreds of miles of trails, little do they realize that many sharp eyes are watching for any trace of smoke that they may leave. If each person is duly careful with cigarets, cigars, pipe tobacco, matches and camp fires, our forests will remain green instead of becoming black.
