DCHP-1 Online

fire warden

• 1 an official responsible for fire protection and control.

  • 1817  The said Fire Warden shall . . . carry about with him on occasion of Fires, a staff or some other visible distinguishing badge of office.
  • 1859  He will carry out the necessary measures, such as the appointment of Fire Wardens and Engineers, the building of cisterns, the storing of gunpowder, and other improvements, without delay.
  • 1934  "The apparatus is to give warning if a dry spell is coming. If it is, I keep a sharper look-out and tend my tower sharper, for I'm the fire warden."

• 2 a government official engaged in the prevention and control of forest fires.

  See also: fire-ranger  

  • 1917  . . . the fire wardens at any of the outlooks seeing the smoke of a bush fire can at once get together a sufficient number of men to extinguish the fire in its incipient stages.
  • 1938  It was the summer the Provincial Government in an "economy" programme had cut down on fire wardens.