Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-08-15
LADS FROM MANY
STATES DRILLED
TO FIGHT FIRES
COME TO NINE MILE.
THOMPSON FALLS CAMPS TO
LEARN TECHNIQUE

/ I L.
y 49, from some OF Americas leading
= colleges and universities are findsnc in
varied curriculum OF study gDonsored
oy the United States Press service AZ
Nine Mile camp 80 miles from Ms
Souia, IN the Lolo national forest and
at the Thompson Falls canp ion
mics west Of Missoula in the Cabinet
national forest '--40'
Begun last year as an evreriy,o,,s
N giving field experience to under
! 81 auuates' tnere are now more than
1OV young men In these two carnne
setsnig tanned and toughened In the
VeS.lilique OF corraling forest fires
t'csesal1lng tnat the forest fire season
1Saz holds danger potentialitieS
] ,nOIe menacing than the thunderboItr
loosened from the worst dry lightning
! spoIm' government firefiQhters havs
ants u ASSIST
From Il colleges and universities
throughout the entire nation they are
now being trained as emergency min
ute men to calm down forest fires
OF whatever source.
Melting Pot Of Training
Camps at Nine Mile and Thomson
rams are melting pot of ideas. train
ing ana background for these Young
men from 10 to rs years Of age. They
come from the country Of the Pacific
the prairieS, the deep south. the lake
states, and from New England All
together these men from % states and
the District Of Columbia have 4 chance
70 Iub elbows with a host Of new ac-
qualntances, as Massachusetts, state
conege first-year men meet with year
hngs at Montana State university and
men from Syracuse university discover
bunch OF good fellows from univer-
SUES OF Idaho, Iowa, Colorado and
Michigan.
High school and college men from
more than 60 different educational in
/ situations are working on the forest
IRE line under guidance Of experienced
/ government foresters and uniting to
ilght common enemy. the red demon
OF the tree lands Of America.
When fully trained, firefighters are
assigned TO forest road, trail and tele-
phone work and blister rust control
Always they are kept In constant COM
munication with the forest fire dis
patcner by radio or roadside telephone.
Although l27 foresters are included
IN the two student camps at Nine Mile
and thompson Falls. all men enrolled
al tnese outdoor forest schools are
iirst given instruction in the use OF
an Ak, saw and Pulaski. to reduce
poSSlpliltieS OF injury when construct
ing trails, telephone lines and during
the fighting OF forest fires.
We visit Nine Mile camp. The head
at Nine Mile Is big, efficient. good
natured Henry j. Viche. officially
listed as camp superintendent. HANK
as ne Is known to his foremen. has
worked IA years for the forest service.
he mas been training boys ever since
the CCC started in 1888. Hank" has
an insight OF the needs OF his livewire
crowd not only for good food a we'll
Planned work program, but also for
relaxation and fun.
Learn 70 Use An Ak
After breakfast at O'Clock in the
morning students are detailed tn c,,t
down trees and make wood Young
men are given practical lessons In the
use OF an ak and saw, something USE
fm when tree or log needs To be
cut on the fire line later.
There is trail construction and trail
maintenance. and maintenance of
telephone lines. The boys have found
tne nearby Remount hay meadow a
place where muscles get toughened
and Dnsters can develop Unexpectedly.
II Is afternoon and an important
lesson IN up TO date firefighting tech
nique Is scheduled for one part Of the
STUDENT body TO master. Fifty-eiRht
men line up for tools, each man wear
ing hard hat, a light brown helmet
lined with steel, overlayed with canvas
and slicked over with plastic.
Cool top pieces are a protection
against falling limbs and fire brands.
the foreman explains. AS he speaks
he points out half a mile away the
smoke Of an actual forest fire running
up the mountain where training of
man versus fire is to take place this
afternoon.
With axes, saws shovels and Pula-
skis in hand, men start toward the
lire moving ahead in single file The
Trail leads up to a young stand Of
oonderosa pine and Douglas fir which
spread over most Of the mountain
slope.
Attack
The saw crew first threads up into
'imbered slopes and Is out Of sight,
Both sides Of the fire are attacked
'imultaneously-the mop-up crew Is
he last to enter on the fire line.
BY now the fire is moving up the
teep forested incline and appears to
,e making an inverted V-shaped burn
through young timber.
To hem the fire IN and keep It from
preading, shallow trenches are cut
ust outside the burning edge Of the
ire. with Pulaski and shovel. pine
leedles and duff are cleared away
Iown to the mineral soil.
In the thick Of the smoke Is
'olish Lad, Leo Ladyak from Michigan,
junior in forestry, struggling against
he binding gasses with tears In his
yes. Tears blur the eyes Of everyone
a the path Of acrid fumes from the
moking forest.
All up and down the hillside as far
S one can see through the smoking
l....c...A