Pennsylvania, with 820,000 acres of forests, has been divided into twenty-six forest districts, and has 2,136 forest fire wardens ready for duty. Some of these man the watch towers, others patrol the forests during the dry season. In this state the Boy Scouts have offered their services in fighting forest fires. Ten thousand Scouts enrolled as forest guides are pledged to protect the forests and help put out fires.

The National Forest Service administers and protects the 156,000,000 acres of our nationally owned forests, scattered all over the United States. It is a branch of the Department of Agriculture. In co-operation with the fire wardens of the states, the National Forest Service is striving to reduce our losses by forest fires. Every possible method is used to educate the public in the right use of fire. The ranger force is constantly patrolling and watching for that wisp of smoke which means that another fire has started; lookout stations are also on the watch; the airplane patrol covers enormous sections of forest in a very short time, and there is always the telephone to transmit a warning all along the line, if a fire is detected.

Of the 6,078 fires in national forests in 1920, 80% were controlled by the Forest Service before they had burned more than a ten-acre area.

11. HOW THE CITIZEN CAN HELP

By developing a spirit of carefulness every single one of us can co-operate with the fire-fighters. Be careful with matches. Always strike a match away from you, never toward you. Be sure the match is out before you throw it away; never throw it aside while it is still glowing. Keep matches covered and in a safe place where little children can not get at them. Don't carry loose matches in your pockets. They may drop out where you don't expect them to, and cause a fire. Don't allow rubbish to gather in your house. If you wish to clean an article with gasoline, do it out of doors, and in daylight. The fumes from gasoline spread remarkably. The merest spark from a glowing

coal in the fireplace, or a lighted cigarette, ignites them. Gasoline is a more powerful explosive than dynamite. If your home is lighted by gas, be sure the jets are protected from fluttering curtains. If you notice an odor of escaping gas, open the windows and doors at once. Do not strike a match to look for the leak. If you have electricity in your house, never put paper or other inflammable shades over the bulbs. And never leave an electric iron or toaster without first turning off the current.

Watch the careless smoker and report all violations of "No Smoking" rules.

Know where the nearest fire-alarm box is located. If you have to turn in an alarm, wait by the box until the firemen appear, so that you can tell them where the fire is.

There are other ways in which you can help-far too many to be mentioned here. But the best and most helpful of all can be summed up in the two words "be careful." A good citizen takes care that no act of his or hers-endangers the comfort or safety of others.

Since many disastrous forest fires are caused by plain carelessness, it behooves all citizens to exercise every precaution against this danger. It is essential that every one use especial care with matches and smoking materials when in the woods. Camp fires should be built only on a rock or upon bare soil, and they should be kept small. When they have served their purpose they should be thoroughly and completely extinguished. Many forest fires have been caused by the wind stirring to life the embers of a neglected camp fire, or by a cigarette carelessly thrown into litter, or by a match not quite extinguished and allowed to drop into some dead leaves.

It takes from fifty to one hundred years to produce a great tree, which can be destroyed in a few minutes by one carelessly discarded match. We must all co-operate to prevent fires so that our forest playgrounds may be preserved for future generations.

TOPICS FOR REPORTS AND DEBATES

1. Visit a fire engine house and report to the class on the following

topics:

a. What is inside of a fire station.

b. What happens when an alarm sounds.

2. The Fireman's Job.

3. Devices for Saving Life at Fires.

4. What to do in Case of Fire in a Crowded Hall. 5. The Two-Platoon System in our City.

6. Safe Cellars.

7. Sprinkler Systems.

8. "Fire-proof" Construction.

9. The Attic as a Source of Fire Danger.

10. Why the Motor Is Supplanting the Horse.

RESOLVED: That the fireman's job is more dangerous than the soldier's.

QUESTIONS

1. Where is the fire alarm box nearest your school?

2. If a fire occurred how would you send in an alarm? 3. How will the firemen know where the fire is?

4. How would you report a fire if no box were at hand?

5. What are some careless things you have seen people do that might cause fires?

6. If cellar water pipes freeze, what is a safe way to thaw them? 7. What are some conditions that lead to spontaneous combustion? 8. Why do garages have "No Smoking" signs?

9. If you notice a smell of leaking gas in your home, what should

you do?

10. Why is rubber tubing a bad kind of connection to use for a gas stove?

11. How is a hand fire extinguisher operated?

12. Why does it put out fires?

13. If you have to put out a gasoline or kerosene fire, why should you not use water? What should you use if no chemical extinguisher

is at hand?

14. If you want to keep some gasoline for cleaning purposes at home, how and where can it be safely kept?

15. Why is celluloid dangerous?

16. Why are fire drills necessary?

17. Make five good rules for campers who believe in fire prevention.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

1. Report of your city Fire Department.

2. "Safeguarding America Against Fire." Monthly paper published by the National Board of Fire Underwriters, 76 William St., New York.

3. "Safeguarding the Home Against Fire." Prepared for the U. S. Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C., by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. (3 c.)

4. "Telegraphs and Municipal Electric Fire-Alarm and Police Patrol Signaling Systems." Published by the Bureau of the Census, Washington, D. C., 1919. 5. "Statistics of Fire Departments in Cities Having a Population of Over 30,000." Published by the Bureau of the Census, Washington, D. C., 1918. 6. "Automatic Fire Protection.' Published by General Fire Extinguisher

Company, Providence, R. I.

7. "Fire Prevention," by Edward F. Croker.

8. "Chief Causes of Fires." In "American City," July, 1914.

9. "The Flame Fiend," by Hallie L. Jameson. Published by Allyn & Bacon,

1921.

10. "Fire Prevention Day Handbook."

Issued by the National Fire Protection Association (Boston, Mass.), 1921. (15c.) 11. "Fighting a Fire," by Charles T. Hill. 12. "Fires and Fire Fighters," by John Kenlon. 13. "The Smoke Eaters," by Harvey J. O'Higgins.