Evening star., 1948-06-30
American Youth Fights ForestFires
Nations Boys and Girls Set Example for Elders
In Campaign to Save Timber Reserves
By A. Macdonald
Forest Serpice United State. Department Of Agriculture
By Georss A. MacDonaI

Girls in Camp Toccoa, Ca, fighting TO-
American boys and girls are engaging in the
country's perennial war on forest fires on
scale never before recorded, and before the
years end millions OF them will have done their
bit one way or another toward the prevention
and suppression Of these scourges which now
destroy annually upward Of $30,000,0O0 worth
of timber and physical property, do untold
damage to wildlife, scenic beauty and soil fer
tility, contribute materially to such disastrous
floods as recently ragged in the Pacific North
west.
SO far as the writer knows, the story OF this
boy and girl service never has been told all in
one piece, nor have the youngsters been given
the full credit they deserve. But here they are.
a large widely scattered army ranging in age
from to l8 which Is doing a monumen-
tai yet little sung job OF backing up the organ
lied forest fire fighting forces of their elders.
With youthful ardox they distribute posters,
placards and other nre-prevention pleas for
the Federal and State forestry services co-op-
Grating in the annual Forest Fire Prevention
Campaign, the sixth of which Is now under
way. Organized into crews, high school lads
in many localities fight forest fres shoulder to
shoulder with mature men. In many families
these youngsters make vacation-happy Pa and
Ma forest fire conscious. And no doubt many
q woods going dad has been, as one such re-
Gently told me he was, shame-facedly estopped
from forgetfully tossing his cigarette in the
tinder dry forest litter by the bright Jealous
eyes of his teen-age daughter
In about one-fourth Of the States, and most
notably perhaps in Virginia, California, Indi-
ana Mississippi and Texas, use Is being made
of organized crews of high school boys on the
forest fire line. In Virginia, for example, in
the school year just closing, e65 Keep Virginia
Green" crews, as they are called, were active In
1856 schools. Mostly 16 or over, with = few stall
warts of is, the membership totaled In all
6,970. Enrolled with the consent OF parents and
school principals, the crews were taught the
importance Of fire prevention in the classroom,
and then given outdoor instruction in fire.
fighting techniques and the use Of common
hand tools KvG button, badge or shoulder
patch is the organizations insignia. Under
direction of the local forest warden and with
trucks ready and waiting, when fire call comes
in. the boys drop their books and are of. On
fires, the boys are paid the same rate rs men.
Valiant Work in Virginia.
These KvG boys Of the Old Dominion
fought scores OF forest fires this school year;
and, according to s. G. Hobart Of the Vir-
ginia Forest Service, "the timely arrival Of one
of these crews often spelled the difference be-
tween holding the hre line already butt or
building and losing It," But the enthusiasm OF
the young fire warriors did not nag when the
excitement of actual combat was over. In
stances where they detected small fires and ex-
tinguished them entirely on their own" were
numerous. Equally important, in the opinion OF
the State foresters, was their help in spotting
and eliminating bad forest fire hazards, and in
talking fire prevention and forestry at home.
in school, camp and elsewhere"
Though seldom If ever organized as are the
high school crews in some of the States many
thousands of local Boy Scout troops and All
Clubs also take part in the forest fire war
each year. Boy Scouts learn about fire fghting
in their meetings and camps from Scout lead
ers and from Uncle Sans forest rangers, ever
ready with talks, motion picture Aims and
demonstrations Similar fire prevention pro-
grams also are an important part OF the De-
partment OF Agriculture Extension Service
work with the All boys and girls. During
World War II and the man-power shortage,
boys Of both organizations were . life saver on
the forest fire lines Of the war-thinned Forest
Service forces in National Forests, but with the
return Of older and more experienced fire fight
ers use Of these boys organizations in actual
combat has all but passed from the picture.
However, in numerous other ways the boys
are still in there pitching. as the saying is. OF
the 81 900 900 posters, placards and other mate
ria. distributed this year in the cooperative
Federal-State fire prevention campaign prob
ar$n AAfyN ltry vNta 1nI
by Scouts and All boys. In periods Of high fire
danger this summer you'll find many Scout
watching in the woods, reporting cigarette
clippers" stopping automobilists at the en-
frances to the forests and issuing fire preven-
ton stickers and warnings, patrolling and fire.
proohng camps and recreation grounds. or even
serving as messengers or radio helpers behind
the fire lines. Many older Scouts, high school
boys and 4-H-ers will spend their vacations in
National Forest standby camps on cali for
fires, and California Is pioneering in assigning
juvenile delinquents, put on their honor not to
try to escape to similar State camps.
Equally heartening to veteran Federal and
State foresters is the forest fire prevention
work of other youth organizations such as the
Girl Scouts, the Campfire Girls, and the Jun
ior Red Cross. With its 100000 or more
members, from kindergarten through high
school, the latter organization does q whale OF
q job to make anti-forest fire crusaders of old
and young. Through the year the tocsin for
fire prevention Is sounded repeatedly in chap
ter bulletins, school papers, council meetings
and school assemblies; so far this year the
members have issued 2,625 900 anti-forest fire
book covers and stickers and placed 1884, 600
fire prevention posters.
On the Front in Maine.
Dramatically, this crusading bore fruit in the
Maine holocaust of last October when Junior
Red Cross members performed yeoman serv-
ice with intelligence and skill. For instance
girl members from . Bar Harbor high school
manned a canteen for fire fighters at xHulfs
Cove until the raging fire drove them back. At
Portland and Brownfeld. Me-. and Conway.
NJ H, boy and girl members served long hours
in many behind -the-line capacities, from serv-
ing food to fire fighters to washing dishes de-