Medford mail tribune., July 15, 1962, Image 9

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Fire fighting supervisors conduct a costly operation.
Features Sports
MedfordSTribune
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SECTION B
MEDFORD. OREGON, SUNDAY, JULY 15. 1962
PAGES 1 to 8
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Fighting a forest fire takes men and equipment, some of which are shown at this base camp on the Rogue River fire.
The Rogue River Fire - -
An $11,000 Fighting Operation
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Little habits, performed for the most part unconsciously,
can be expensive.
This was demonstrated earlier this month when fire
burned over 410 acres of brush and timberland just east
of Rogue River.
Although the fire's cause probably never will be fully
determined, state department of forestry officials said they
have to assume it was man-caused, since it started along a
paved highway, and all evidence indicates it was man-caused.
The most probable explanation offered is that it started
from a passing motorist tossing either a match or a cigarette
out of the car window, a habit many motorists have, and
a habit which is more unconsciously automatic than de
liberate. Man-Caused Fires Not Declining
It was about the 5(Mh man-caused fire on state depart
ment of forestry protected lands this fire season, a figure
comparable to the number at this time last year, indicating
that man-caused fires are not declining in numbers despite
fire prevention campaigns by agencies concerned about the
nation's forests.
Curtis Nesheim. warden for the southwest Oregon dis
trict, state forestry department, said "it seems like the num
ber of man-caused fires has increased during the past few
years."
Several factors are considered, however, in the more-than-average
number of man-caused fires. Among them are:
1. More people are using facilities in the forests;
2. More forest areas are being opened for public use;
3. More motorists are travelling roads in and adjacent
to forests and grass and brush areas at lower elevations.
Most Fires at Lower Level
Most of the man-caused fires arc at lower elevations,
where tall grass dries out along roadsides and highways,
Nesheim noted.
A cigarette or match tossed from a moving automobile
combined with extreme forest fire conditions such as pre
vailed July 2 at Rogue River result in a costly operation.
The humidity early that afternoon was 11 per cent. A
30-mile-an-hour wind was blowing at the top of the ndge.
The grass was dry.
If a cigarette started the Rogue River fire, it took only
H4 cents to develop into an SI 1,000 fire fighting operation.
That's about the cost of fighting the 410-acre blaze, which
had not yet been declared out a week after it started
The fire started about 2 p m., and burned out of conlrnl
until about 9 a.m. the next day, July 3. By late Monday
afternoon, about 90 men were fighting it; Tuesday morning,
there were 100 men, three crawler-type tractors and three
felling crews. About 5H miles of trail, some tractor-made,
some hand-made, were established.
State crews were sent to the scene more than a week
after it had been controlled. A fire is not declared out until
after the last smouldering ember is out in the center of the
burned area.
Man-Hours Not Determined '
The number of man-hours required to extinguish the fire
has not been determined, and to obtain an accurate figure
would be difficult. One would have to consider the number,
of hours each man spent on the fire line, supervisors, dis-'
.patchers, borate drop personnel, cooks and personnel in
volved in other miscellaneous jobs connected with it.
Nor has there been an estimate of the fire damage itself,
although property . damage would amount to considerably
more than the actual cost of fighting the fire.
Some of the area was overgrown with bushes, some of It
was timber approaching the marketable age. The dollar
value of the loss In "growing time" for the bushes and trees
will never be known. And the "growing time" clement is
becoming more and more important in forest management
today, whether on private or publicly owned lands.
This holds true for any forest fire whether large or
small, whether man-caused or nature-caused.
Only Preventable Ones
Of the two fire causes, man-caused are the only prevent
able ones, and Nesheim is certain the Rogue River fire
never would have occurred if carelessness had been avoided.
This is the crux of cutting down the number of forest
fires, the expense of extinguishing such blazes, and reducing
the number of forest acres removed from possible marketing
or recreational use. ;
Nesheim believes the only way to reduce man-caused fires
is through a general fire prevention program, since most
of the man-caused fires are the result of everyday living
habits in areas where people live and through carelessness.
He urged anyone who plans trash or debris burning dur
ing the summer to check with one of fire fighting agencies
the state forestry department, rural and city fire depart
"ments. Some of the man-caused fires could be reduced this
way.
This policy, he commented, probably would not have pre
vented the Rogue River fire, but practicing carefulness
could have. Knarkiicdt Photo
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Food is prepiired for flro fighters by district personnel.
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High school boys take supplies to the fire line.
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After the fire is controlled, ?tump and smoniderir li""' V fiukwrt"
" t'li: tiVftuTdrring after the fire Is con trnllrd, are cut from trees and extinguished.
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