Brewster, Massachusetts

TOWER TOUR - SUNDAY AUGUST 13th
Report by Bob Spear

Dennis Fire Tower located in the town of the same name: In Massachusetts the Forestry Fire Towers are named for the townships in which they are located. Massachusetts has areas
divided up as Fire Districts which would roughly be equal to New Jersey's Sections. Fire Wardens are full time positions in the DEM, and the District Fire Warden would be the counterpart of a New Jersey Section Warden. Patrolmen are roughly the counterpart of what a District

Firewarden or Forest Fire Technician would be in New Jersey with a few differences. Massachusetts depends mostly on the efforts of localized town Fire Departments who own their own "Breakers" and brush trucks. "Breakers" are also stationed at the District Headquarter's shops and yards. Military excess property programs also help the local fire departments acquire rural fire protection equipment. Fire Tower operators are State employee's paid by the DEM, the equipment in the tower, alidades, maps, and a State radio
is also State equipment, with the tower itself budgeted by the township. The Fire Towers respond to a fire sighting by calling the Township fire department the smoke is sighted in and also keeping the District office informed as to the fire's progress and size. As more equipment is needed to fight the fire, the District's Fire warden is requested, and at that time the Decision is made to commit State Forestry "Breakers" and a fire crew.

The Fire Tower at DENNIS is a large galvanized steel structure, common to Massachusetts of between 60 and 70 feet in height. It has a large cab of about 10 X 12 feet with windows all
around. The Smoke sighting table, sometimes with a circular map and some without, is located in the center of the observer's cab on a sliding base, used to sight around a window block.

Usually there are the names of other towers or prominent landmarks indicated all around the tower's walls with which to serve as reference points. A large wall map which folds down
from one side wall includes the area observed and other firetower locations.

A State Radio with several channels is communication with the District Office and other Firetowers. Another Fire Channel radio provides communications with local fire departments.
From DENNIS TOWER, a far off view of the arm of the cape as it juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and curves around forming the barrier of Cape Cod Bay can be seen on a clear day.

The more western towers can be picked out if you know where to look. East of Dennis Tower is the BREWSTER TOWER in Nickerson State Park itself which we did not visit. And farther out on the arm of the Cape itself is the WELLFLEET TOWER.

Cape Cod at this point is rather wide and it is a long view across the Cape to the Atlantic Ocean side and Martha's Vinyard and Nantucket Island beyond that. The DENNIS TOWER has two large and dangerous microwave antennae on it with a Nynex concrete bunker type building on the ground. The Tower was locked as our touring group arrived there but Hank managed to find a key that allowed us entry to the cab.

BARNSTABLE FIRETOWER is located within 50 yards or so of Route 6, the mid-cape highway, and is the spitting image of Dennis tower. Henry does not know what company or type of tower these are as very few records were kept detailing their construction. Some of these towers are newer replacements of older ones, the Cape being very harsh on their useful life span.

However these that stand here now are indeed well constructed and much heavier and stronger than most other New England fire towers, excepting some in New Hampshire which I have visited.

Entry could not be gained to the Barnstable tower as Hank explained it was equipped with an alarm system that goes right to the Police Station. The tower is accessed by a dirt road
Drivable.

From Barnstable one can look across to Martha's Vinyard, a fire tower is also located there at West Tisbury, manned only on Class 5 high fire danger days.

The SANDWICH TOWER closer out toward the Cape Canal was manned by a rather pretty blue eyed blonde who welcomed our tour group up to her cabin above the tree line. An unobstructed view clear to the Ocean and over Otis Air Force Base is to be had, as
is the low ridge which is just before the Cape Cod canal. The suspensions for the Sagamore Bridge could be made out through the haze. The large blast proof radar installation out in the distance which Hank explained was constructed so the government can communicate with itself in the event of a nuclear war which would polarize all electro magnetic Communications can be clearly seen. That was a rather sobering sight.!

Sandwich tower, like the others was an exact replica. The footings for the older smaller firetower which had occupied this site are still at the grounds below. The vast expanse of Otis Air Force Base takes up much of the Cape at this point and the seaside town of Hyannis is beyond on the ocean front. Our staying time was short as it was our plan to be off the Cape by 2 o'clock to beat the traffic tieups.

There are but 2 bridges over the canal which provides entry and exit from the Cape. Friday afternoons and Sunday afternoons, there are gridlock bumper jams as long as ten miles. With only very slight hold up we made it over the Sagamore Bridge, past Theodore Roosevelt's old home and onto the mainland.

BOURNE FIRE TOWER Unused Hank says now for about four years, there are no plans to restaff it. The 10'X 10' cab is Devoid of the usual accouterments found at the other towers, the
Carpeting on the floor also showing signs of extreme fatigue.

From the Tower's windows an excellent view of almost the whole Length of the Cape Cod Canal is had snaking it's way from the Ocean to Cape Cod Bay. The canal was constructed to eliminate a whole day's travel around the Cape for ship traffic and according to Bob Anderson, (Dover Tower operator) is 45 feet in depth. To the north and west are the arteries of highways that supply the Cape with the bumper to bumper traffic jams.

The next tower southwest is Acushnet Fire Tower, but to the North by Northwest was our next destination. The Old Carver tower at Myles Standish State Park. The BOURNE FIRE TOWER can be seen if you look carefully from Route I-195 and Rt 25 and plainly stands out above the ridge as you cross the Sagamore and the Bourne Bridges.

It is about a 60 + foot structure, again of the same heavy Galvanized steel material as the previous ones we visited. The smoke sighting table is still in the tower along with an old map
on which Hank discovered another fire tower, PINE HILL FIRE TOWER near present day Otis air force base, of which he admitted knowing nothing about.

OLD CARVER FIRE TOWER, Myles Standish State Park. This Abandoned structure stands along the Park road behind the District Fire Control office. It is all but hidden below the mature tree line and has not been used for quite some time. Arriving there our small group was caught in a brief down pour. Unsafe to climb, there are no plans to re-man this tower as the new Carver Tower is only a couple of miles up the road.

NEW CARVER FIRE TOWER, Myles Standish State Park Built I believe Hank said in 1986, it is perhaps the newest Fire tower in the New England or Mid-Atlantic States. Spring Hill tower in Pennsylvania built in 1976 runs a close second. The design is shall I say, strange and unlike the usual Eastern type Fire Towers. It rises exactly square for 90 feet to a huge airport control tower type cab with slanted out windows and a catwalk, which is not readily accessible. One must crawl and "fall out" the cab window onto the catwalk floor to access it. On the Smoke sighting table sets a brand new Osborn Fire finder, the newest one I've ever seen and a very expensive instrument last seen in the Forestry Supply catalog for about $ 3200.00 American !.

The windows hinge outward and on the northeastern side of the cab there is a huge wall map which is rolled out of the way on an overhead pipe and casters. The design of which disadvantages the operator by a constant window block from one side to the other. The steps from ground level are about four feet wide. Two people can comfortably climb side by side very easily on them. As Fire Towers go, definitely not of the traditional Lookout designs found
in the East. The lady operator of Carver tower greeted us and gave us a run down on the territory surrounding her tower.

Myles Standish is one of the largest State Parks in Massachusetts, containing many thousands of acres of pitch, white ,and red pine Varieties. She explained that because of destruction of property, ATV's, and motor bikes as well as all roads in the Park will be closed to vehicular traffic, except for the macadam sections.

I thought this large square structure should be renamed "The Singing Tower" because the wind blowing through the turnbuckle braces and the superstructure actually play a haunting melody
which is really quite pleasant to listen to. The massive hollow beams of this tower also contribute to this instrument of "metal music"

From Carver Tower, our group now split up to head our Separate ways back home. Fred on his way on an 8-hour drive to Rochester NY, Chris heading North to the New Hampshire granite mountains, and Bob Anderson returning to his home up near Dover, Mass. Myself, Geof, Mark and Hank deciding on one last tower visit down to Acushnet which we could visit on our route home via I-195, but first a stop at the District fire control office where Hank showed us some Fire fighting equipment. Two more huge "Breakers" were here, plus an old 5 ton truck with a large water tank nicknamed "Bubba". Inside the garages were two patrol trucks, and a work shop and fire cache. We met one of the Patrolmen here before heading out through threatening rain clouds.

ACUSHNET FIRE TOWER Southwest a few miles from I-195 this was the last tower we visited. It is about a 60 foot tower and can be seen from the near-by road among the mature evergreen trees. The incoming thunderstorm I felt afforded an excellent opportunity to watch a fire tower getting struck by lightening !. The operator was there for our visit, and the rain was closing in as we quickly snapped our photos and scrambled up the steps to the cab. The inside of the cab clearly shows the pride which the operator takes in manning his tower. The floor is wood stained to a high waxed polish, Everything cleanly painted in grey and white, the Smoke sighting table made of thick Plexiglas and the Alidade of brightly polished brass, which shone with brilliance Very few of these instruments ever have. The telephone Strategically mounted on the corner wall which is a much better Location then setting on a shelf. This cab looked like a professional fire center and it would be a credit to any State's department if their operators took as much pride as this gentleman does here at Acushnet.

The view from the tower's windows is clear back to the Bourne Bridge at the entrance to the Cape and southward, out to Martha's Vinyard Beach. The thunderstorm's steady rain now engulfed the tower in a downpour as we chatted about firetowers and other subjects. It finally let up enough to allow Geof and I to scramble down the wet steps to our truck below. With Good-bye's said to Hank and Mark we left Acushnet Fire Tower behind and headed southwest.

One other Fire tower in Massachusetts remains west of here at the FALL RIVER FIRE TOWER. Hank reports that this tower had suffered a lot of vandalism damage and then poor
quality workmanship in repairing it resulted in more damage by heavy weather, however he said it is hoped to be ready by the Fall's Fire season and will be staffed.

Rhode Island has quite a few Fire towers which are stll standing and some are also still staffed during fire season. Coming up to the conference we passed through a rather large area of Rhode Island which is heavy forest which surprised be very much as I never expected to see
that much expansive woods in the state. Time however did not permit any further fire tower exploring and we settled in for the long five and a half hour drive back to New Jersey.

Notes:
Breakers" are the huge fire fighting trucks the DEM and town departments use to combat wildfires. They are massively constructed vehicles of different makes. At the Conference site
the newest of the new, an International dual rear wheel monster sporting heavy steel reinforcing bars on the front sides and rear, a large capacity pump and foam injection unit and pump and
roll capabilities Several nozzle arrangements and "jump lines" provide water delivery.

An older behemoth a 1962 Maxim with a tandem rear, heavy winch and a huge brush guard arrangement shaped slightly as a V and heavy steel "gliders" under the front of the chassis provide for true crash and smash Capability. Few bulldozers are available or used on the Cape to combat Wildfires so the mainstay is these impressive mechanical marvels. The closest thing that can describe them is imagine a 13 ton Mack truck with the dump body removed and water tank and pump installed. Weld about 2 tons or more of Steel reinforcing
girders and piping, skid plates under all the under workings, Steel reinforcing along all the fenders,doors,windshield and other vital parts, diamond plate the rear reinforced bumpers and
tree guards. Install a specially geared low range transmission And supercharged Diesel power plant, adds a driver, and engineer

Firefighter and you have one powerful machine. But as can be attested to, even Breakers can get stuck and when that happens the DEM calls for their Tank retrievers, which are the only things that will get these monsters out. Firefighting on Cape Cod is unlike anything else, direct attack by tankers and Breakers are the only means of bringing these erratic wildfires
under control.