ZIGHT MEDFORD .(OREGOW) MAIL TRIBUHT
8nndr July 27, 198
U ElTillion Acres of Forest Lands in Southern Oregon Get State Protection
Southwest Oregon
District Has Job
Of Fire Prevention
Responsibility Includes .
: Most of Two Counties
Ted Maul is a heavy-set, bull
headed (by his own admission)
guy who is fire chief and police
chief for 1,555,000 acres of for
est land in southwestern Ore
' gon.
Specifically, Maul's job is that
of district warden of the South
west Oregon district of the State
Department of Forestry. He
- bosses 16 year-around em
ployees and in summer fire-season
months there are 85 other
employees on the district pay
rolls lookouts, guards, fire
crewmen and foremen.
Cooperation Important
Maul would be the first to ad
mit that the success of his work
and the record of the district
under him and his predecessors
has been excellent depends in
large measure upon cooperation;
cooperation between the state
agency, the federal agencies
charged with responsibility for
the nation's - timber resources,
and with members of the lumber
industry, big and small.
The district's police functions
include the duty of enforcing all
state forest conservation and fire
laws. This means that logging
and milling operations in the ter
ritory protected by the state
must be checked, and that the
foresters must see that they are
operated accordingly.
But as Maul says, you've got
to use a little common sense in
enforcing laws. In a bad fire, the
district deDends on the inriiistrv
for manpower. And it's difficult
xo arrest a man for a minor vio
lation one day, and ask him for
neip tne next.
So the state's forpst nnlirempn
and firemen work at it with the
idea that the main goal is com
pliance and coODeration Where
necessary, of course, arrests are
maae.
Hug Area
The area for which the district
office is responsible is tremen
dous, taking in most of Jackson
and Josephine counties. Thprp
are a few scattered parts of the
two counties where the U. S. For
est Service, or a cooperative fire
'Prevention aeencv. has th re.
sponsibility. And there is an area
stretching down the middle of
the valley, including Medford
and its environs, for which the
. patrol, as the department is
generally known, is not respon
sible.
To protect this huge area from
ine ravages of fire, the district
has a yearly budget of about
jaou.uuu. it nas 14 lookouts and
14 regular guard stations nii
four guards stationed in their
own homes.
. ; Most of the guards do not work
lull year for the district, serv
Ing only throueh the fi
There are a fpw pynprionpoi
men, however, that do spend the
iuu year m the district's employ.
Some Stay Year-Around
Some of the other guards,
usuauy older and seasoned men,
live in the- guard stations the
year-around, and the state fig.
Ures it is EOod econnmv in fur.
nish the living quarters during
the winter to
ly-skilled man will return to
worn in the spring.
The lookouts are perched on
peaks throughout the
ties, and between them overlook
most oi the forested areas of
the county. One more lookout is
being planned in eastern Jack
son county, and when it is com
pleted the network of smoke
observation stations will be
rounded out, with few, if any
"blind spots." y'
Some of the lookouts return,
year after year, during the fire
season. Others are brand new
each year. Maul says the more
experienced of the lookouts get
so that they can spot a strange
smoke almost without looking
for it so familiar do they be
come with the view from their
mountaintops. These older look
outs rarely if ever report a
smoke that does not turn out to
be a fire. The greener hands,
ivwever, noi Knowing the exact
location of a mill, or a railroad
Or a slash hnrnirm -
other smoke source, often report
It is the job of the dispatcher
at district headquarters to take
i. JooKout reports, plus any
other fire reports, and decide
.how they shall be handled. If a
smoke is spotted by one lookout.
-vu.wmumra dv another, a
crew is dispatched immediately
to the area.
The lookouts' reports are made
by radio, ordinarily, although
each also has a telephone. The
radio network is a highly effect
ive and integrated one, with 18
ground stations (at Jackson and
Josephine headquarters, on all
lookouts and at two guard sta
tions) and in addition there are
about 60 mobile units, including
several "handie-talkies," or "pea
nut" sets, which weigh only a
few pounds.
The "peanuts" were designed'
by a technician in state head
quarters of the forestry depart
ment and so effective "are they
that they have been adopted fori
Sits Wm
BUTTE FALLS GUARD STATION The
guard station at Butte Falls, shown above, is
fairly typical of the 14 such stations scattered
throughout the southwest Oregon district of
the state department of forestry. The guard and
his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bean, live here
during fire season, and live In Rogue River
during the winter. In addition to answering fire
calls, Bean issues entry permits during forest
closure periods, and is otherwise - responsible
for forest fire 'protection in state-guarded. lands
in the area. Some guard stations have resident
crews of boys living there during the summer
use by a number of other agen
cies.
One of Many Tools
Radio has been used as one
of the "tools" of the forester's
iob for a number of vearsl
Others, all of them important,
include the lookouts, tne stand
by fire-fighting crews, the guard
stations, the heavy equipment,
including pump trucks, person
nel trucks, cars, pickups and
tractors, and hand tools, ranging
from , axes and shovels to more
specialized tools designed solely
for fire-fighting.
What happens when a good
sized fire gets going?
That, of course, depends on a
number of circumstances the
location, the extent, weather con
ditions, the availability of personnel.
It is important to remember
that within the state forest pro
tective district, the district war
den and his staff are charged by
law with the responsibility for
fighting fire. If it gets too big for
state to pay the fire-fighters the
Aid Praised
In doing so, Maul is apt to
call on L. L. (Doc) Simpson, of
the Southern Oregon Conserva
tion and Tree Farm association.
Maul says that the assistance ren
dered the forest district by
SOCTFA in the oast has been in
valuable in arranging for men
and supplies to be brought to the
scene of a big or potentially dan
cerous fire.
Once Maul calls for the heln
it is the responsibility of the
state to pay tne firefighters the
going wage, and a portion of his
Dudget is allocated for this pur
pose. Most small fires, however.
can be handled by regular dis
trict employees.
One of the major problems of
the local office is deciding what
to do about fires particularly
nouse fires which occur in the
valley area which it is not the re
sponsibility of the district to pro
tect, .frequently there is no
other fire-fichtine eauimnent
available, and on most occasions
a forestry pumper will resnond
to tne can, simply as a matter of
courtesy and common humanitv
But when equipment is tied up
on otner tires, or when it is out
oi service in the winter time,
these calls for helD sometimes
simply have to be turned down
iviaui nopes that formation of
rural fire districts, such as are.
in process of formation in the
central Point and Medford areas
at present, will solve this prob
lem for him.
One of the-things that makes
me easier for foresters is the
growing public consciousness of
tne danger of fires in the woods.
mere were two recent examples
of this once when three fires
in the Applecate-Ruch area werp
extinguished by residents and
lumper workers this week al
most" before state crews arrivpH
another near Prospect where a
nre m slash spread to 100 acres,
and where most of the lumber
mills in the area. alertpH thrrmirh
the SOCTFA radio system at
Maui s request, sent in men and
equipment to quench the blaze
witnm less than a dav anH
half. . "
The work of the Kppn flreonr.
. f O
ureen association with its pm.
phasis on fire prevention and
eaucation, has done a great deal
to aid public awareness of the
problem.
Sometimes it happens that a
fire occurs on the border be
tween 'areas under state protec
tion (which include O and C as
wen as privately-owned land in
the two counties) and areas pro
tected by the U.S. Forest Service,
or some other agency.
In this case, according to
Maul, the procedure is for both
responsible agenci.es to pitch in
to put out the fire, and settle
arguments later.
Southern Oresrnn
C3 vx VOl.l O
federal, state and private are
generally encouraged by the in
creasing effectiveness
fighting organization on alj lev
els., a ney oeneve the public is
becoming educated to thp
sity of saving this area's most
important crop trees. ';
nut they are eauallv pmnhatiV
in stating that only with con
tinued efforts on the part of
forest professionals, and with
continued !suDDort from thp nnK.
lie, can this progress be'- main
tained and extended. i
Vf (I rr .;-"
DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS The headquarters of the south
west Oregon district of the state department of forestry is located
on Table Rock Road, north of Medford and just past Four Corners.
It is shown in the picture above. At left is the office, which con
tains the major land station of the district's radio network, and
the office of the district forester, assistant district forester, and
the two inspectors assigned to this county. A similar office is main
tained in Grants Pass. The lookout tower in the background has
been little-used in recent years, since better-placed lookouts have
been in operation on peaks throughout the district. Out of the
picture at the right is the mess hall and bunkhouse, where the
resident crews live. Behind the bunkhouse are garages housing
much of the district's automotive eauipment. and a warehouse.
where there is stored everything from hazelhoes and axes to
radio tubes.
1 mmmm
LADY LnnVHTTT "MVc Thlr-. Ctrwe TATM.,;Tft 5 t
lookout stationed atop Soda Mountain this summer. The lookout
cabin, which serves as both 'home and office" for her during fire
season, is shown above. This particular lookout has one of the
most SDectacular views avaUahlp nnvuViero in Tica nmmhT
lear view up the Rogue, valley with Mt. Ashland and Grizzi
xjuiic iu me ien, ana ivicj,ougniin to tne right. Turning cround, :
One Can Ionic Hnum nn tho Cnrtnn lalrp Yha ri.m.tl. ;n
' " " vu uic xueuiiaiu 11V CI
California, with Mt. Shasta rising in majestic isolation beyond.
Mrs. Sims, in common with many other veterans, appears to enjoy
thoroughly her lonely summer-long vigils. Her lookout is one o.'
few which does not have to perch high on a tower to look ovei
surrounding mountain-top trees. ; :
Poor Diet Causes
Many TB Cases
Sydney, Australia CU.R) Al
most every second girl who con
tracts tuberculosis in this city
does so as a result of failing to
eat lunch, according to the medi
cal director of the anti-tuberculosis
association, Dr. H. Wilson.
"There are an amazing'.num
ber of pretty girls in sanatoria
who are .there because they go
out too much and do not spend
enough time eating properly or
getting sufficient sleep," Dr. Wil
son said. . -
Dr. Wilson agrees with the
dean of the London School of
Hygiene, Dr. Andrew Topping
who says that many girls de
velop tuberculosis through
spending their lunch money on
luxuries.
Too many parties and dances
and too much interest in dresses
and such things are sapping the
vitality and strength of our
young womanhood," Dr. Wilson
said. V
"Almost half the girls who
come to T-B clinics admit they
haven't time' to eat breakfast,
and they tell us they spend their
lunch-h ours shopping or at
films.
They then rush home and get
ready to go out again, and often
do not even bother to have a de
cent evening meal.
"This senseless and unhealthy
Parasite in Brain
Of Sheep Discovered
Ithaca, N.Y.j (U.R) A hitherto-unrecorded
parasite in the
brain and spinal cord of sheep
has been discovered by veter
inarian research workers at Cor
nell university.
Cases have been found in sec
tions of New York and New
Hampshire.
The" parasite is a worm about
one - inch long which crawls
through a- sheep's spinal cord
and brain and destroys tissue
as it goes, said Drs. John H.
Whitlock, Peter - C. Kennedy
and Steven J. Roberts.
Some animls are made com
pletely helpless by the damage
done by the parasite.
: The parasite, they said, prob
ably is transmitted by mosquit
oes or biting flies. The likeli
hood is that some other animal
than the sheep is its natural
host.
The three scientists said the
disease has never before been
described in this country. A
similar disease is known in Asia,
but there it has been attributed
to a different parasite.
A series "E" Defense Bond
costing $75 is worth $100 in 9
years 8 months, or $134.68 in
19 years 8 months.
existence deprives them of their
powers of resistance to disease
and they finish up with tuberculosis."
ATTENTION
KIDS! '
the
MERRY-GO-ROUND
MIDGE-6-RACER
ARE HERE!
These two Amusement Rides are part of the equipment
that will be operated in the proposed new shopping
center. They are operating now at our temporary loca
tion between Kim's and the Red Barn. Come out and
have fun. The Roller Coaster will be here soon.
OPEN EVERY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING
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