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Medford
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The Star inter-regional fire suppression crew has a new tool to help construct fire lines, a Hoffco Fail fire line
trencher. Forest service officials estimate that it does the work of five men, but takes only two men to operate. Dave
Ryn and Fritze Morrison, above, check out the new tool.
I
Specialized IFire fighting C
By MARGIE GOOD
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
A lighted cigarette is tossed out of a passing car,
a bolt of lightning hits a tree or a careless camper fails
lo put out his campfire whatever the cause, a forest
tire is born.
A lookout high up in a tower on top of a mountain
sees the smoke, sends in a report, and the machinery for
suppressing the fire goes into action.
Men and supplies are rushed lo the scene.
Many forest fires are quickly extinguished. But some
' tires, due to winds or the condition of the forest, get
out of control. The fire rages on and a request for the
Squad Leaders Ed Graham and Cork Cablcr go over a few points with Pete Gregory,
foreman Crew members are in constant radio contact with the head base when on the
fire line.
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Members of the unit pick up their packs from the forest service truck before they
leave for a fire Bill Plumb, above, hands thrm out lo Hush Leslie, while Bill Pousl and
Jerry Mulkey wait for their packs.
inter-regional fire suppression crews Is sent to the re
gional office in Portland.
The suppression crews are highly trained mobil
units that are subject to intra and inter-state calls to
fight forest fires. The main purpose of the units is to
suppress fires. Usually they only stay until they are no
longer needed and all that is left to do is the mop-up
operations. j
Fires Are Serious Problem
In Oregon, where lumber is an important ingredient
to the economy of the state, forest fires are a serious
problem.
In 1962, 11,288 fires were reported In the Pacific
coast states and these fires burned over 395,130 acres
of land. The suppression crews played an important part,
in controlling some of these fires by being able to go lo
any fire on short notice.
A request for the suppression crews is relayed from
Portland to the forest service offices in Medford and
Redmond. The Medford office relays the request to the
Star ranger station where one suppression crew is based
and trained. Within a short time the crew is ready to
take off from the Medford airport.
There are only two inter-regional suppression crews
on the West coast, one at Redmond and one stationed
at Star ranger station on the Applegate. This is the third
year for the Redmond group and the second year for the
Star crew.
The crews are composed of 25 men. Most of the Star
crew are local college students. Few of them, however,
intend to make forestry a career. Fire fighting in the
summer offers them the opportunity to have a little ex
citement while earning a little extra money.
Pass Physical Examination
Crew members must be 18 and pass a physical ex
amination. Nineteen men returned to the Star crew from
last year's unit. They are hired for the fire season that
usually lasts from June through September.
Members of the suppression crew are given two
weeks of intensive training at the beginning of the fire
season, during which they learn all they can about fire
fighting. Included in the two-week period are courses In
safety and first aid. In the last two years there have
been no serious on-the-job injuries to crew members;
the extent of their injuries has been minor blisters.
Crew members are instructed by Star personnel and
representatives from the Medford office of the forest
service. They are instructed in the basic fundamentals
of fire fighting. They are taught fire behavior, fire line
construction, the use of fire tools, large fire organiza
tion, water equipment, how to travel and how to fell
snags.
Camp Out Three Dayi
During the two-week training period the crew camps
out for three days and learns how to live while they are
away from the base station. This season the men were
sent to a fire before the end of training.
The men are not spread out into other units but are
kept as a separate crew.
When the crew is sent to a forest fire, men are sup
plied with a one-day ration of food. They also have a
pack containing extra equipment, such as a first aid kit
and sleeping bag. They also are equipped with a flame
resistant shirt made of special material.
During last year's fire season, the unit traveled tn
nine forest fires. So far this year they have gone to
five fires. The crew flys to most of the fires in a charter
ed DC3 forest service plane. If fire conditions were right
they could possibly be gone all summer going from one
fire to another.
Eager to Return to Fire
Crew members work hard to extinguish fires to which
they are sent, but they are still eager to go to another
fire when they return. Pete Gregory, foreman, remarked
that "the men must have a little arson in their blood.
Just as soon as they get back from one fire they keep
asking when's the next fire."
Much to the crew's dismay, fires do not keep the unit
busy all of the time. During the slack periods they are
kept busy, working at building access trails, taking care
of the grounds at the station, building fences and doing
other district work. This is actually done to keep the
men in shape to fight forest fires. While doing all this
work the men hike three to five miles a day. During the
day, they must be within an hour lo one and a half hours
from the Medford airport.
This is not a new program for the forest service.
Prior to World War II, the forest service had such crews,
but during the war the program was dropped because
of the lack of available manpower. Because of the in
crease in forest fires in recent years, the program was
reestablished.
"The inter-regional fire suppression crew is a good
thing. The men are welded into a pretty hot-shot crew,
they know what they are doing and they do it," one for
est service official stated.
v X
oECTION B MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY. AUGUST 18, 1963 PAGES 1 to 8
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ruiusi lire ukmimik van uc a imra jod ana crew memoers lake tnelr rest where they can find it. John Fontaine, Sandy
Anderson, and Larry Robbins, three members of the crew, are shown taking a cat-nap.
John Norns, Fritze Morrison and Gary Wallace, above, cheek through a pack to see if
everything is there. Each pack contains a first aid kit, snake bite kit, rations for one day,
uasnnEiu ann exira naileries, flame resistant shirt and personal belongings,;
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The tools of the fire fighter must be kept in Rood condition. After every fire, crew
members get busy and sharpen them. Above, Jim Casad, Dick Burns and Dick Zcdiker put
their files to use while they put a fine edge lo their fire tools.
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Crew members work at building access trails and other district work when not fighting fires. Above, Bob Morris, ,
Jim Schmidt, Alan Schloss, Jim Beanie, and Jim Gaull, clear away some grass while Ed Graham, squad leader stands by
to make sure everything is okay.