Smyrna times., 1930-08-27
FOREST FIRES IN CONTROL
DOWN ALONG SUSSEX BORDER
SITUATION SUMMARIZED BY
STATE FORESTER TABER
Serious Fires Preventable, He says
in Report Made Public-News of
New Legislation Being Enacted


New Legislation Being Enacted
According to report of the
State Forestry Department releas-
ed last week for press use, there
have been 105 forest and grass fires
in the State since January 1st of
this year. This number represents
only those that were reported and
fought by volunteer fire compan-
les, cooperating with the State
Forestry Department, and by no
means indicates the full number of
fires which occurred and for which
the Department has neither report
nor record. In all probabilities,
the actual number of fires is in
excess of 200. Sussex County
leads in the number of fires; their
record being so, while New Castle
is second with "a. The remainder
occurred Kent County. Under
the classification Of causes, 81 are
listed as unknown, IA resulting
from brush burning, % by rail
roads, and 9 from rubbish and
ditch bank burning. The loss to
the State from forest fires esti-
mated at S5O1, ,14O.O0 for the IT,
196 acres burned over much Of
which night have been avoided had
the State an adequate protection
system.
Need Forest Fire Detection System
If Delaware had five fire lookout
towers situated at advantageous
high points in the State, fires could
be detected as soon as they start
ed. The cost of purchasing and
erecting these towers would be ap-
proximately $4,000. The only
further expense to such a system
being a few dollars per year for
repairs and the salary of lookout
men during danger periods. This
cost would not exceed $4,000 per
year. Experiment and practice in
other States have found this sys-
tenn more economical and efficient
than the airplane The big draw
back to the use of the plane be-
ing the cost of operation and the
difficulty of quick communication
with the ground.
Fund Needed to Combat Fires
Simply to so equip the State that
forest fires may be quickly detect
ed and reported is not enough.
Volunteers, without leadership and
equipment to aid them in combat
ting fires are helpless to cope with
such fires as Delaware experiences.
Funds for the purchase of ade-
quate equipment and funds with
which to pay fire fighters at least
the going hourly wage must be
provided if efficiency of a sort is
expected. An institution of the
State cannot and must not expect
disinterested citizens to turn out
and help extinguish forest fires
without compensation fol their
labor. Fighting forest fires IS The
hardest kind of labor and requires
going long periods without food,
water and rest.
Adequate Protection Laws Needed
Last but not least, the State
Forestry Department needs salts
factory and adequate laws provid-
ing for the apprehension and con-
viction of those who not only will
fully but carelessly start forest
fires. There are already many rec
crds in the Forestry Department
files, of fires in the past year which
positively identify the source, cause
and the name of the person who
started a forest fire. Yet, because
of lack of sufficient testimony, the
offender cannot be brought to JUS
tice. The next session of General
Assembly will be asked to support
bills providing for adequate appro-
priation to inaugurate a forest
protection programme supported
by forest laws with real teeth in
them. AS matters now stand the
Forestry Department is practical
ly helpless to cope with the situa-
ton, but it feels that when prop
erly understood, every citizen of
the State will be in favor of aid
ing in the passage of this much
needed legislation.
How System Would Work
In discussing the proposed pro-
tecton system to newspaper rep
resentative, State Forester Taber
said, Let us assume that we had
the fire towers and supporting or
ganization; we will say a fire
starts somewhere near Cedar
Swamp. AS soon as the smoke
rises above the tree tops, it is spot
ted by one towerman and soon af-
ter by a second towerman. Each
towerman, by means of his instru-
ment obtains the line of direction
by degrees from true north and
phones this information to the
State Forestry Department, where
the fire control map is located.
L