The Town of Southampton Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management, in coordination with the Southampton Trails Advisory Board, installed new Smokey Bear wildfire prevention placards at different trailheads to help mark Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday.
The Smokey Bear campaign first launched on August 9, 1944. The Smokey Bear campaign is one of the longest running and most successful ad campaigns in U.S. history. For 80 years now, Smokey Bear has been a symbol of wildfire prevention spreading the word that, “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.”
To commemorate this milestone birthday, the Town of Southampton placed new Smokey Bear wildfire prevention placards at 6 different trailheads throughout the Town. Placards installed by the Department of Public Safety & Emergency Management’s Neighborhood Services division were placed at Barrel Hill, Red Creek, Long Pond Greenbelt, Mulvihill, Laurel Valley and Tuckahoe Woods trails.
Southampton Town Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara is a Town Board liaison to both the Fire Marshal’s Office, as well as the Trails Advisory Board. McNamara said, “The Town of Southampton has some of the best trails and parks that can be found. We all must do our part to help preserve and maintain these spaces for the enjoyment of future generations. Wildfire prevention is key to maintaining the beautiful greenspace in the Town of Southampton.”
Town Code Compliance and Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy, who oversees the Fire Marshal’s Office and initiated the Smokey Bear recognition efforts in the Town stated, “The Smokey Bear message of ‘Only You Can Prevent Wildfires’ is just a relevant today as ever. Statistics still indicate that more than 80% of wildfires are still started by accidents or bad behavior. Especially with the devastating impacts of Southern Pine Beatle infestation to our area, our woodlands are very fragile with a high amount of dead tree fuel that could feed careless fires. I hope people heed Smokey’s warnings.”
Residents visiting the trails are encouraged to join the Smokey Bear birthday celebration by taking a picture with the new signs and posting to social media using the hashtag #SmokeyBearSouthampton. To learn more about Smokey Bear’s birthday, wildfires and wildfire prevention strategies, visit the USDA Forest Service website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/features/coming-2024-smokey-bear-turns-80.
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From left to right Chief Fire Marshal John Rankin, Town Code Compliance and Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy, Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara, Trails Advisory Board Member Dai Dayton, Neighborhood Services Division staff member David Lipman, Senior Fire Marshal Chris Hansen, Fire Marshals Ryan White, Courtney Idtensohn, Shane Sharkey and Joseph Hernandez.
| Trails Advisory Board Member Dai Dayton who assisted in the installation of the signs.
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