A Fire Lookout Tower
There are 210 fire lookout towers known in North Carolina. Each of which
is assigned per county. And though North Carolina’s fire lookout towers
serve for safety purposes, these towers have also become means of seeing
the beauty the state offers.
In fact, an author has already published a book about the lookout towers
of North Carolina. It includes historical information about the tower
and the mountain where it stands, hiking trails, maps, routes,
directions and distances. All these are helpful to North Carolina
travelers.
You may wonder why North Carolina maintains 210 fire lookout towers.
Well, it is already an operational procedure and normal to have one per
county in every state. First and foremost, a fire lookout tower is a
tall building made of wood or steel usually located on the peak of a
mountain. It also serves as a shelter for a fire lookout whose task is
to seek out fires in the wilderness. Its high location is a necessity in
viewing possible fires from a distance and range.
The picture above is an example of a steel-made fire lookout tower.
Steel towers can differ in size and height and they could be very sturdy
but may bend in the wind. However, they are constantly checked for
security and safety so there’s no need of much worrying.
|
|
There had been many fire lookout towers wrecked all due to abandonment
and low maintaining budget but North Carolina’s are always active and
supported primarily for safety of the residences and the entire county
as well. Other states also ensure their own towers to function through
assigning trustworthy, vigilant-eyed fire lookouts to detect fires. It
is still believed that this measure is safe, reliable, and prevents
delay of putting off fire that may drift to other places, saving lives,
homes and structures ahead.
It was supposedly the great fire in 1910 that provoked the government
with the
support of county councils to build fire lookout towers in all parts
of United States. Presumably, the forest fire then was too large that it
spread through out the states
of Washington, Idaho and Montana. |
This doomed occurrence paved the way to creating fire rules,
organizations, policies and practices believed to be very useful up to
this time. Safety has become a major priority in the states and the
towers symbolize it.
Although technology has improved and the towers have taken a back seat,
its purposes have not been defeated yet. Aircrafts, radios and cell
phones may be reliable channels of communication but seeing a fire from
atop a tower manages fires in rapid manner. Fire lookout towers still
are time and life savers.
And possibly, visiting a fire lookout tower is a way to appreciate its
lofty structure that was purposely made to save environments and
people’s lives.
|
