“Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires!”-Smokey the Bear.

I remember sitting in my second grade class at a small school nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, watching a public service video on how to prevent forest fires. A tall, brown bear with a pair of pants, a ranger hat, and a shovel made it very clear that preventing fires was extremely important, and there were things that our seven-year-old selves could do to stop them. Seeing as most of us weren’t allowed to play with matches, didn’t know how to rub two sticks together to make a campfire and I hope no one smoked, the lessons that were instilled in our formative years stayed with us. We may not have known how to ride a two-wheeled bike with ease yet, but we felt like the first line of defense in preventing a national disaster. We knew to always make sure our campfires were put out, that cigarette butts were not still lit, and to never play with matches. And if there ever was a fire, we knew to “Stop, Drop, and Roll.” They even let us practice that one.

So, with an intense crash course in fire safety and the sound advice of a talking bear, we set out to save the world, one tree at a time. If we squashed an unattended cigarette butt, or used the water hose on our father’s out-of-control grill, we felt like a superhero. At least the superheroes we knew: the local firemen.

Even with the best intentions, as much as 90 percent of wildfires in the United States are caused by humans according to the U.S. Department of Interior. The other 10 percent are caused by lighting and lava. Through unattended campfires, burning of debris, negligently discarded cigarettes, or intentional acts of arson, wildfires claim millions of acres each year. So congratulations, humans, we are more dangerous than a volcano.

The U.S. Forest Service responds to tens of thousands of wildfires every year. An average of more than 73,000 wildfires burn seven million acres of land and more than 2,600 structures annually. Although extremely destructive to forest land, wildfires also claim an average of 20 lives every year, with a total of over a thousand lives since 1910.

Unfortunately, we have recently seen first-hand the destructive power of these wildfires with the burning of over 300 acres at Little River Canyon, and other fires closer to home claiming Stemley Station. With the recent drought and burn ban in effect, we must be even more adamant about fire safety and prevention. So far this year, there have been 49,832 wildfires that have consumed over 4,989,330 acres according to the National Interagency Fire Center. There are currently nine uncontained wildfires burning 22,002 acres in seven states. The U.S. Forest Service employs around 8,400 temporary wildland firefighters each year, who with our local Fire Departments and First Responders, endeavor to keep these fires from causing more destruction.

What can we do to reiterate the importance of preventing these fires? Have we become lackadaisical, our first instinct of heroism dampened by maturity? Have we forgotten the lessons instilled by Smokey the Bear? Perhaps we need a refresher course.

How to Prevent Wildfires (officially changed from “Forest Fires” in 2001)

1. Only YOU can prevent wildfires

2. Always be careful with fire

3. Never play with matches or lighters

4. Always watch your campfire

5. Make sure your campfire is completely out before leaving