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SUNDAY. JUNE 11. lit
MESFORD MAIL THTBTJlfB, Mi. 1)1 UH'B,
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rMCr!ir plans flnlni? over
a new structure to be built by the Oregon west, oversees and coordinates activities of
state forestry department, above, are South- the Medford and Grants Pass sectors that
iwest Distict Warden Curt Nesheim, left, and make up the district. With lookouts all man-
'his assistant, Doyle Stockton, both of whom ned, the state forestry deaprtment is now
'work out of the Medford headquarters on ready for the forthcoming, fire season.
'Table Rock rd. Nesheim, who
'COOK Mrs. C. O. Gerhardt is responsible lunches that would be delivered, along with
'for food preparation at state forestry depart- large containers of hot coffee, to the scene
, ment headquarters, Medford, and although of the fire. The big kitchen and dining room
'he regularly feeds between 12 and 15 men, is located in the crew house at' headquarters
. she must be prepared to fix meals for 50 or station. In an emergency, Mrs. Gerhardt and
' 100 if a big fire broke out. The means would her summer helper, Mrs. Pearl Bean, will
more than likely be in the form of sack cull for more women to help in the kitchen.
I S -f
FlHE ALARM Fire suppression crews at
Oregon state forestry department head
quarters. Table Rock rd., Medford, waste no
time When a fire alert sounds over the
loudspeakers. The fire rig above is fully
equipped, gassed and ready to roll on a
moments notice. Warden Bill Davis Is shown
City Manager ot
Eugene Resigns
Eugene-iUPD-The city man
ager of Eugene has resigned.
Robert A. Flnlayson, 58, Eu
gene city manager since 1053,
announced h I s resignation
here Friday to Mayor Edwin
E. Cone and city council mem
bers. Finlayson, who came here
after serving as city manager
at Oregon City, said he was
resigning to go to another po
sition, but did not specify
what position and where.
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WESTERN THRIFT
the Dions for 15 vcars of forestry experience in the north-
has more than
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getting into the vehicle as fire crew mem
bers George Davis (Bill's brother) and Wes
Stanfield come from the warehouse on the
run. Fires are often reported by motorists
or residents in an area, but in the more
remote sections lookouts are depended upon
tn turn In U'C a'lrtTi,
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KEY MAN An important Job
quarters is that of the dispatcher, who receives hundreds
of radio calls a day from guard stations, lookouts and radlo-
cquippcd vehicles. Walter (Buzz) Moran takes down informa
atlon on a "10-33" ... the code number for fire. All calls
in the Medford sector of the southwest district are channeled
through the dispatcher. A large map on his left is used to pin
point the location of fir by tha triangulatlon method.
1 ; J
if It
at forestry department head
Fire Suppression
Becomes Science
In Recent Years
BY BOB VROMAN
Mail Tribune Staff riter
The day was another
scorcher ... hot and dry. The
asphalt on downtown streets
blistered under the July sun.
On a remote logging road to
the east, a motorist, without
thinking, flipped a cigarette
butt out the car window, and
the scene was set for a drama
that happens many times a
year in southern Oregon. The
players: the fire suppression
personnel of the Oregon state
forestry department.
This particular cigarette
butt is like the fuse of a bomb.
It lands in the soft, punky
material of a rotten log and
smoulders there for several
minutes before a breeze fans
the glowing tinder to life and
the nucleus of a forest fire is
born.
Sees Bluish Cast
Several miles away, a look
out notices a bluish cast to
the canyon haze. He notes the
azimuth, the estimated dis
tance to the area, in addition
to a description of the loca
tion and the type of terrain.
He writes this basic infor
mation down quickly on a
special form and immediately
contacts headquarters station
on Table Rock rd. by radio.
"This is six thirtynine to
two.
"Two ... go ahead six three
nine ..."
"Ten thirty three. Blue
haze noted in canyon north of
Flounce rock. No column evi
dent. Azimuth 243 degrees
Wheels Begin to Turn
The wheels at headquarters
begin to turn. The dispatcher
asks for a triangulation from
another lookout station to pin
point the location of the sus
pected fire. He has already
spotted it.
From all appearances it is
going blaze now, as the dis
patcher draws a penciled cross
on a master map in the com
munications room. Township
32 south, range 2 east, south
west quarter section 34.
Within minutes, the dis
patcher at headquarters has
radioed the fire warden at
McLeod guard station. The
warden shouts to his three
crew members who are out
back cutting wood.
We ve got a live one in
Foster canyon . . ."
The men come on the run,
grabbing two canteens of
water as they come by the
spring house, and climb
aboard the fire rig that is fully
equipped and ready to go.
Plan Best Route
On the way they plan the
best route to take to reach
the fire. The pickup whines
up Uie twisting mountain
road and dust pours through
the cab as the men try to vis
ualize what they will find
when they get there. They
will be the first on the scene,
and whether or not they will
be able to handle the fire by
themselves is a matter of
question.
The warden calls headquar
ters on the vehicle's radio.
"We'll be there is about
15 minutes. How docs it
look?"
Assistant District Warden
Doyle Stockton sends a reply.
"Burnt peak says its
heavy red column now .
wind strong from below. It
looks bad. I'm starting a
crew from here . . . . "
The pickup jolts to a halt
at a wide place in the road,
and up ahead the fire, burn
ing hot, has spread to several
acres up the side of the moun
tain. Notify Logging Outfit
The warden again contacts
headquarters and his message
is relayed to Stockton, who
is now en route to the fire
Stockton tells the headquar
ters dispatcher to notify a log
ging outfit in the area that
they 11 need a Cat and 15 men
and also to prepare meals for
30 men, for it looks like It
might be an all night oper
ation.
Once on the scene, crews,
under the direction of Fire
Boss Stockton, cut a fire line
far up the ridge, the Cat
working from one side and
men with hand tools from the
other. Just before daybreak
the fire is contained. Filthy
with grime and sweat, the
men can now rest easy, but
a few will remain for the mop
up operation . , , the dirtiest
job of all.
Tills hypothetical situation
Is a typical, routine Job for
the men of the fire suppres
sion crews. It is an average
"small" fire that could have
blackened out thousands of
acres of timber If it were not
for fast action of the forestry
department personnel and
ready volunteers.
Btcomti A Scitnca
Fire suppression In recent
years has been coming
more and more a science, but
o far there is no substitute
i
Board Will Seek
Request Opinion
Salem - d'PD - The staff of
the Oregon Water Resources
board plans to ask the Oregon
attorney general for a formal
opinion on the status of an
application from Idaho Power
company for an Oregon li
cense to build Brownlee, Ox
bow and Hells Canyon dams
on the Snake river.
Idaho Power has sought an
Oregon license since 1047.
The projects have gone ahead
anyway.
A hearing was held by the
board in 1956 and 1957 but
the matter was deferred for
several reasons, among them
a study of the Snake river
basin conducted by the board.
Girl Pulls Brothers
From Burning Home
Portland-IUPD-An eight-year-old
Portland girl pulled two
younger brothers to safety
from a fire which damaged
their home here Friday night.
The girl, Virginia Erhardt,
rescued her younger brothers,
Kenneth, 2, and Michael, 3,
from their bedroom.
Another brother, Richard,
10, was in the home and made
it to safety.
SEE X-15 AS SPY CRAFT
Tokyo - IUPD - Communist
China said today the U.S. ex
perimental X-15 rocket planes
"evidently are to replace " the
U2 reconnaissance planes on
spy missions. The Red New
China news agency said the
U.S. National Aeronautics and
Space administration, which it
described as an organization
used as a screen for air es
pionage," is conducting tests
on a new "super nign-aitituae
rocket plane, the X-15."
for the man and a shovel. Por
table radio networks have
played an Important part in
bringing about fast control
of forest fires, and the use of
chemicals dropped from the
air also are effective under
certain conditions.
The Oregon state forestry
department's southwest dis
trict includes Jackson and
Josephine counties. The dis
trict is divided into two parts,
the Medford sector and the
Grants Pass sector, with dis
trict headquarters located on
Table Rock rd., Medford. Cur
tis Nesheim is district warden,
and his assistant here is Stock
ton. The assistant ranger in
Grants Pass is Howard Brock.
Number of Acres
There are approximately 1,-
600,000 acres of state, BLM
nd privately-owned land in
the southwest district that the
state forestry department
must protect from the ravages
of fire. There are 16 look
out stations in the district, 11
in the Medford sector and 5
in Grants Pass. Guard sta
tions are located throughout
the district, manned by two
and three-man crews that are
on call day or night for the
purpose of fire suppression.
In addition, three full-time
fire crews, consisting of a
warden and three men, are on
duty at headquarters station
during fire season. A year
round cook, Mrs. C. O. Ger
hardt is also employed at
headquarters, and she has an
assistant who will come on
duty July 1.
Fire suppression, by neces
sity, must be a well-coordina
ted operation, for there is too
much at stake for error any
where along the chain of com
mand. Every piece of equip
ment must be in top shape and
ready to roll when the need
arises.
Although things go along
at a relaxed pace when things
are quiet, the threat of fire
brings a scurry of activity to
fire suppression personnel . . .
for a forest fire, like a violent
animal, plays the game for
keens
CALL NUMBERS A new system that will help facilitate
air-g-ound communications is being tried this year by the
state forestry department. The radio call numbers of each
vehicle are being painted on top of the cab so men in an
airplane can tell the location of the man they are talking '
with. A reconnaisance plane can call to a driver of particular
vehicle and give him directions, where before the truck
might be confused with another. The four-wheel drive sta
tion wagon above belongs to Assistant District Warden Doyle
Stockton. 1
1 r. ""3 "TQS"7''"
NEW MACHINE The Army surplus half-truck, above, ac
quired this year by the state forestry department, carries
a large tank of water that will aid in forest fire mop up
operations. The machine is a "bearcat" for power and
traction and will go into terrain that is too rough for the
tank truck. A long hose and pressure supplied by the
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT Forestry department warehouse
man George Davis, above, removes a portable wate.r pump
from its box to be sure it s in
at hand, the pump could be
though most of the tune fires seem to start in areas away
from streams. The pump is not part of the regular equip
ment of the department's fire trucks.
Girls State Opens
In Salem Monday
Salem - IUPD - Girls State, a
study In government by about
250 Oregon high school jun
iors, opens here Monday and
lasts one week.
A Girls State governor will
be elected Thursday. Other
mock state officials will be
named along with mock city
and county officers.
Director of the project Is
Mrs. Hugh G. Murchison, Pen
dleton. The girls will also
elect two mock U.S. Repre
sentatives and they will at
tend Girls Nation -the na
tional program - in Washing
ton, D.C.
REDS BUILDING AIRSTRIP
Tampa, Fla. -(UPD- Sen.
George Smathers (D-Fla.) said
Friday 252 Russian engineers
and technicians are building
a jet air strip in Cuba. He
told a news conference it was
a "definite threat to the safe-1
ty of the United States." i
top condition. When water is
utilized to extinguish a fire,
SUBWAY -.EIIVICE
Oslo, Norway, may be the
smallest city with a subway.
HE'S
. . . o Mrs. Ada Klatsen, 831 Dakota, Medford, discovered Juno
3, I960, when "Suds" Sutherlln knocked on her door with the
Folgers door-bell ringing questions. Mrs. Klassen answered cor
rectly, and minutes later received the Westinghousa upright freezer,
pictured tn the background. Also upright in the background, Win
Marks, manager of Radio Station K-BOY, which airs names of
winners of Folgers door-bell ringing priies daily on the
m mi mm tra
MoNtifly through Friday
K-OY AM-FM, 730 Kc. o
'.
pump on top of the tank makes it possible to wet down
a wide area. The half-truck is too slow to go any distanca
to a fire, so It will be transported on a large carry-all
pulled by a truck, according to Assistant District Warden
Doyle Stockton.
v Iff
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FIRE TOOLS This group of hand tools being displayed by
Fire Crew Warden Bill Davis are, front to back, a cruiser's
axe; hazel hoe; swamping axe; pulaski and a McLeod. Davis
has hand on a back pump which is carried by means of two
shoulder straps. The tank, containing water, is heavy and
cumbersome to carry over rough terrain, but is effectively
used in combating creeping ground fires. The hand tools are
used mostly in cutting fire trails, which involves removing
forest duff ana) debris to mineral soil.
FOR REAL!
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