The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-02-06
fire COMPANIES
AMONG FARMERS
Become Members Of Voluntary
Organizations With All the
Necessary Equipment.
PLANNED BY COUNTY AGENTS
Estimated That Quarter Of Million
Dollars Worth OF Grain Was
Saved Last Year-Wider Field
Of Usefulness Seen.

a smoke smudge on the horizon In
the country no longer e certain
and complete loss.
At least, this is true in $1,000 square
miles OF California where 6,OOO farm
ers have enlisted in rural fire com
panies, equipped with trailer fire
carts, stationed at strategic points and
ready to meet the fire peril when 1t
appears. The plan was developed by
the county agricultural agents, In CO
operation with the forest service Of
the United States department OF agri-
culture, and it Is estimated that q
quarter Of a million dollars worth Of
grain was saved through it during the
summer Of 1918. The plan was de-
vised for the purpose Of reducing
losses in grain fields and on grass
l-nges, but department Of agriculture
specialists believe it might be given a
much wider field Of usefulness In the
protection Of practically all kinds Of
farm property from loss by fire.
Under the California plan the
county farm bureau becomes the CEN
trail fire protection agency. A local
nre company was formed at each COM
munity farm bureau center, and the
members pledged themselves to re-
spond Instantly to the call Of fire.
Each community elected q fire boss"
who was commissioned as q deputy
state fire warden, and a fire dis
patcher,'' whose duty It II to remain
ct the telephone during fires TO give
information and obtain help.
Trailsrs Garry Equipment.
In most Of the communities q two
wheeled trailer IRE cart was obtained.
These trailers are Of simple construc-
ton. may be attached TO any automo-
bile, and are completely equipped with
chemical fire extinguishers, water
cans filed with wet sacks, with forks
and shovels, and with q container for
drinking water for the IRE fighters.
The trailer IL kept at the cross roads
other most accessible point in'the
community, and the frst automobile
passing on the way to q ire bitches
% the trailer and takes It along. Out
of the 308 rural IRE companies organ
ised In California last year. 267 are
equipped with such trailers.
The saving % = quarter Of ! million
dollars IL single season IN this
limited territory 40 ii indication OF
what might .resultsSn the plan were
generally adopted n communities
whore conditions nrs such ~ II make
It workable. There are some rural
communities where such i plan might
not be advisable, but III the majority,
perhaps, II would IA workable. Prior
10 the extensive spread 0f the farm
bureau system, which came primarily
10 j war measure during 1917 and
lo18. AZ would not have been possible,
since IT III necessarily 4 cooperative
coEnmuplty activity. Int the farm
bureau system has come tO stay, and
Il a6ordSs the sortsof cooperative ef-
tort a (which community 6re gprotec-
f1on may ven be part
nnllar Nsed Eiseyyhers.
Throuehout doSen0 a more sta1es]
fhere EXISTS aneed 1or protection
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