Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-11-14
PLANES HELPFUL
CIJRTAHNG FIRES
BLAZES IN FORESTS PAST SEA-
SON KEPT DOWN BY QUICK AR
RIVAL OF HELP BY AIR

Airplanes, In the service Of the
Northern Rocky mountain national
forest region during the past for
est fire season, travelled nearly
$4,000 miles, equivalent TO twice
around the world. They were in the
air $40 hours. Half of the time was
spent in transporting 275 tons Of
supplies and equipment and IT'S
! men, a little more than One-fOurEh
Of the time In scouting forest fires,
and the rest in aerial Photographic
mapping.
Two hundred tons of supplies and
equipment were freighted to various
ranger district summer headquarters
/ IN the vast, remote forest areas COM
mon to the northwest. Where landing
fields are possible, air freighting is
much faster and cheaper than over
land transportation, involving 30 to so
miles packing on mules over noun
famous trails.
Other transportation by plane was
emergency service on going fires, and
this year saw the first successful sup
plying of forest fighters from the air
1t is now possible to maintain crews
at fire sectors where the overland
supply service would not be able to
function with the required speed.
First Call Comes Early
The first emergency call of this ma
ture came early. at a fire west Of the
Montana Idaho divide, beyond I5o 10
pass. Men got through, but the supply
trucks could not negotiate the mud
and snow on the road leading into the
vicinity of the fire. An airplane, within
four hours after the order was received,
delivered fire fighting equipment, ra-
tons and beds at the fire, dropping
them from the air in packages specially
cargoed to Withstand the impact when
dropped from 400 feet above ground.
Three other crews we're supplied from
the air during the season. In each in
stance, the crews served formed a
spearhead of the attack against the
fire. If supplies could not have been
delivered from the air, the attack would
have been delayed.
Several times this year, forest fires
started at places easily reached from
some of the IL improved landing fields |
but otherwise remote from sources Of |
man power. Each time, a plane load |
of men was sent t@ the scene and con- |
trolled the fire while it was still small, |
whereas, the time consumed in over
land travel would have permitted the |
fire to spread to an area which would /
have required many more men and /
might have done great damage.
On the trip, overhead from northern 1
Idaho national forests sector bosses
and foremen were hurried by plane I
from Occur d'Alene, Idaho, to the I
Little Rockies forest fire in north CEN
trail Montana, where they were sorely
needed. The distance is nearly 500
miles. made by plane In little over
five hours and the men ready for duty
on arrival. Overland, IL or more hours
Of steady automobile travel would have
been necessary, the men worn out at
the end of the trip.
In Scouting Service
A spectacular advance in airplane
use came in scouting late in the sea-
son, when new type short-waVe radio
made two-way communication between Il
plane and ground possible. 1t was used
on two fires For the first time in this
region, the observer could report his
findings currently to the boss at the
fire, discuss the situation and receive
instructions. The value of airplane
scouting of forest fires has long been
recognized and it was used on all siz-
able fires. Before advent of the new
short-wave apparatus, however, the OBJ
server could report from the air only
BY means Of note dropped at a fire
camp.
This year, use was again made of
airplanes to detect smoke in isolated
districts after severe lightning storms
The Northern Rocky mountain ma
.ional forest region has vast timber
'eSources which, besides being CONNER
tally valuable, are the watershed cover
or the principal headwaters of the~l
Columbia and Missouri river systems
Ipon which thousands of farmers and
hundreds of communities depend for
heir water supplies These forests are
Ilso the recreational areas for many
thousands of people, the home of much
# the nations wild life, and provide
orage for hundreds OF thousands of
lead Of livestock.