Every year there is a huge campaign at the end of October, where they talk about Forest Fires. They do this to help spread the awareness of forest fires, and help prevent them. In the past this was a huge event, where they would go to the schools and talk to the children all over the nation about forest fire prevention. This year was a very down year for the program and I haven't seen those weekly commercials about stopping forest fires. The slogan: ”Only You can Prevent Forest Fires1,” was implanted in my head ever since I was a child. With that said, the recent events in California, where fires have been created in small forest areas, which is in the rural areas of the state. These fires could have been prevented if people played more attention to the climate change and how they live around wildlife. I know that some of the fires may have included as arson but it is the lack of knowledge about forest fires that leads them to spread into massive fires.
The media didn't cover the prevention week like in the earlier years of my life. You would see the commercials on television every day for that month in that calendar year. There are usually events that the media would be promoting during that month of Forest Fire Prevention awareness. I saw the commercial only once and it was during Earth Day or something like that.
After that the media has been covering and over exposing Celebrities and murders as their headliners. The Britney Spears controversy gets more airplay than www. Smokey Bear . com.
I felt this is a huge concern because of the three forest fires this year alone in California, plus the added fact that environmentalist are stating that there is a global warming criteria in effect. Since the world is becoming more and more populated, this will mean that the turn out ratio of consumption will be greater. So take that into effect people will waste more, and more waste means; more liability to natural disasters. I am not sure if a forest fire can be labeled as a natural disaster but if we are not watching what we do, and if we don't know about it. We can create a natural disaster just by not knowing the facts. I think the Forest Fire Prevent Week should be the only thing talked about with in the news media during the time spread in October/November.
For more information about forest fires and prevention, please check out the web page of Smokey The Bear, the more you know the better you are.
Team Work
In the previous years it took teamwork to stop the growth of fire prevention. You had firemen taking special trips to the schools and teaching fire prevention. Since the economy is at a dangerous level, and the environment is having that global warming effect- I think we just can't wait for someone else to speak up on how to prevent forest firers. I think the parents and the teachers should start to participate in the natural events that the schools use to do.
“In NW Montana the Flathead National Forest teamed up with many local organizations to offer several fun, family events around the Flathead Valley on Winter Trails Day. Learn to cross-country ski or strap on snowshoes for a winter scavenger hunt, games and chance to explore the winter environment -- look for wildlife tracks and winter birds.” (USDA) The USDA, which is The United States Department of Agriculture: found out through studies and events that teamwork is what helps Montana slow down the process of forest firers. That is why they allowed and teamed up with organizations that have several events that help promote forest firer awareness. Even the media coverage has slipped just a bit in covering the effects of preventing forest firers. In the past the media would have these commercials all over the tubes telling people about how to prevent forest firers. Since the media has become celebrity stricken, they fall to help promote the important issues of firer prevention.
This has allowed the California firers overwhelm the people living in the areas. If they had the awareness that these are the times where firers can happen, and created firer vigilance then those wild firers in 2007 might have been prevented. The prevention may have saved homes and the lively hood of the people in the area. It could have been a small firer instead a large wild and out of control firer. That is what team work can do for a cause, it can help minimize the effect of a growing concern.
