Assignments-Tasks

Fire-guards

They had many responsibilities. Among their tasks, they were responsible for fire prevention. When a fire was detected from the tower, the guard had to direct a group to fight the fire. He had to watch the trains, to make sure they were carrying spark guards and chimney caps. He also had to deliver burning permits and give permission to circulate in the forest.

The Fire Superintendents

Were responsible to enforce respect of the law concerning forest fires. They had a number of employees including firefighters and patrol personnel. An important part of their job was posting signs and information about fire dangers. When there was damage caused by a fire, they were also in charge of inquiries. A report had to be written at the end of the season.

Tower observer

The main job of the tower observer was detecting fires from the top of his tower. When a fire was detected, the observer had to determine its direction with an instrument called: Osborne Fire Finder which was a very precise compass. Two or more obervers, from different towers working together helped for the distance and the size of the danger zone.
The picture: a classic model of fire tower, from the Southern St Lawrence Forest protective Ass. which was widely used by the protection service. The small log cabin was usually the residence of the tower's observer.

Patrol personnel

Patrol personnel had the task to prevent, to detect and to put out fires. The fire prevention system depended in large part on their work. They built and repaired the towers and brought supplies for fire fighters. They had to be in position at all times, ready to fight fires.