At roughly the halfway point from when allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to embark on the liberation of Western Europe (June 6) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s successful reelection bid that made him the only U.S. President to serve a fourth term (Nov. 7), another iconic household name took shape in 1944.
Smokey Bear and his association with World War II goes far beyond the time stamps previously mentioned. In spring of 1942, a few months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese submarines surfaced just off the West Coast and fired upon various sites in Oregon and California. Aside from triggering a wave of concern throughout the U.S., the bombardments were largely ineffective. Not only were Americans concerned about the loss of life and property that could ensue from future artillery strikes, the increased risk of wildfires due to detonation was something to consider with so many first responders enlisted and away from the homefront due to war.
Over the next two years, right around the time the movie Bambi was entertaining American cinema, U.S. government officials began diligently constructing posters, catchphrases and slogans geared toward raising awareness about the importance of being careful with fire. On August 9, 1944, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) officially authorized Smokey Bear to be its wildfire prevention icon and the rest as we know it is history. Since then, Smokey Bear and his timeless wildfire prevention message has echoed across generations through comics, songs, apparel, school visits, community outreach events, and radio and television commercials.
While Smokey’s message might have a little bit of age on it, everyone’s favorite wildfire prevention bear hasn’t lost a step and remains committed to educating people about the importance of following his five simple rules for preventing wildfires:
- Only you can prevent wildfires.
- Always be careful with fire.
- Never play with matches or lighters.
- Always watch your campfire.
- Make sure your campfire is completely out before leaving it.
North Carolina residents, living in a state that sees more than 4,500 wildfires annually, need to consider removing the cobwebs and dusting off this message as 99% of those wildfires are in the hands of human activity. Careless debris burning, escaped campfires and machine and vehicle use are just a few of the many human initiated ignition sources that can and will result in wildfires of epic proportion.
While Smokey’s birthday may be confined to a single day, the N.C Forest Service is celebrating Smokey all year for his 80 years of dedication and service to preventing wildfires. Earlier in May, during the Got To Be NC Festival, the N.C. Forest Service held a special birthday celebration for the gentle giant, with an array of Smokey prizes, a birthday banner signed by festival goers and the singing of Happy Birthday led by N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. Smokey programs will remain a constant during the 2024 N.C. State Fair (Oct. 17-27) as the N.C. Forest Service will unveil a new campfire safety program to help reinforce Smokey’s lifelong mission. However, attendance to a special event or community fair is not the only means to visit with the folk hero. Smokey and his message is everywhere and it’s for everyone. You can also learn how to be the best defense against future wildfires by taking in a ranger led program at your nearest educational state forest or contacting your local NCFS county ranger about having Smokey visit you and your friends at school. Smokey and his forest friends need your help to protect North Carolina’s forests.
Contact information for your local N.C. Forest Service county office can be found online at www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts. To learn more about Smokey Bear and to access his wildfire prevention resources, visit www.smokeybear.com.
To commemorate Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday, the Ad Council, the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S. Forest Service developed a new wildfire prevention PSA that can be viewed on YouTube.