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Show Become "Fire Conscious" During Week of Oct. 3 to 9 Forest fires destroyed enough timber m the United States dur-ng dur-ng 1942 to build 20,000 liberty ships, or 2,000,000 armv truck bodies. Range fires destroyed winter feed for .thousands of head of sheep and cattle. And fires on our mountain sides reduced the water hold capacity of important im-portant watersheds. These statements which are true in peacetime, demand even more urgent attention today with timber, winter feed for livestock, and water for Utah's farms and crowded industrial centers more important than ever before. Fori these reasons, control of Utah's forest, range, and watershed fires is one of the prime objectives of Fire Prevention Week, which will be held as a result of Presidential Pres-idential proclamation, from October Oc-tober 3 to 9. Wood is essential to the farmer farced with the need to build new production structures to house his expanding production, for fence construction, and for fuel. Wood has many uses in war industry in-dustry as well. Thousands of head of cattle and sheep, upon which we depend for meat, wool and leather, will need every bit of range feed this year and next if we hope to do our best in supplying these commodities com-modities to our nation at war, The greater part of Utah's farm lands, and every city and town in the state depends on watersheds for its most precious substance WATER. We have had several tragic results in the state, from the misuse of watershed water-shed ; lands, and it has proven that a more permanent water supply and fewer disastrous floods result from proper watershed water-shed 'management. The greatest single enemy to timber, grazing lands, and watersheds water-sheds is fire. ' Money alone cannot prevent fires if sufficient manpower is unavailable un-available and if ordinary citizens presist in careless habits. Citizens are urged to enroll during Fire Prevention Week in the Forest Fire Fighters Service which has been set up in each county. The coordinator in Duchesne County is Ranger Julian Thomas and Sheriff Dewev Merlwealher 13 the County Fire Warden, Even those who cannot fight forests, range, and watershed fires actively, act-ively, can concentrate on helping to prevent them. Picnic fires for instance, should always be completely extinguished ex-tinguished before leaving the picnic area. Cigarettes . should never be tossed from the windows of automobilies use the ash tray And matches should be broken in two before being discarded to make sure they are out. At this season, hunters should take particular par-ticular precautions to prevent fires. Let Utah citizens become so "fire conscious" during the week of October 3-9 that we will have no more fires as a result of carelessness. Remember, fires fight for the axis! |