He saw a chance and jumped on it. Or, perhaps more accurately, into it.  The limelight, that is, as Disney’s “Planes: Fire & Rescue”—a comedy-adventure about wildfire-fighting aircraft—opened last Friday at movies across Pennsylvania.

With the film focusing on wildfires, Smokey Bear made cinema appearances in no less than nine Pennsylvania cities—all the same day …

Smokey Bear gives the thumbs-up sign outside the Huntingdon Cinema's Clifton 5, Huntingdon, where he appeared before the opening of Disney’s “Planes: Fire & Rescue.” With some help from his friends—employees of DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry—Smokey made a big hit with young movie-goers and their parents as he posed for photos, handed out fire prevention materials, and accepted signed birthday wishes from movie-goers of all ages.

Yep, that’s right. The fire prevention icon marks a milestone Aug. 9 when he turns 70. Release of the film, focusing on animated aircraft fighting large, fictitious wildfires, dovetailed with the kick-off of birthday celebrations marking Smokey Bear’s seven decades of speaking for forest protection.

Bureau personnel accompanied Smokey to help him spread the word on wildfire prevention and facilitate youngsters and their parents in meeting him and extending birthday greetings.

Ironically, later that evening some of those same folks would answer the call to battle a monster wildfire raging outside Prineville, Ore. A 20-person, volunteer crew of Pennsylvanians flew out of Harrisburg on Sunday with fellow firefighters from Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. They are battling a more than 6,300-acre blaze believed to have been caused by lightning.

Meanwhile, here at home in Pennsylvania, 98 percent of wildfires are blamed on humans, largely through debris burning and arson. Fires scorch over 5,000 wooded acres a year in the state and cost almost $500,000 annually to extinguish.

Spreading the word on prevention, Smokey and bureau personnel made movie appearances in Harrisburg, Huntingdon, Altoona, Clearfield, Philipsburg, Selinsgrove, Frackville, Scranton and State College.

(Reprinted from the July 23 DCNR Resource Newsletter.  Sign up for your own copy of the bottom of the Resource webpage.)

7/28/2014