Join Smokey Bear and volunteer for safe campfire pits
Wildfire Awareness Week event April 29, 2012

OLYMPIA – In celebration of Wildfire Awareness Week, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would like to invite you to join us at our campfire pit clean-out event in the Ahtanum State Forest. Smokey Bear will be present, so be sure to bring the kids. Plus a DNR fire engine will be on hand for the kids to learn more about wildland firefighting.

DNR’s Volunteer and Wildfire Prevention Programs are starting a new partnership with the goal of helping to reduce campfire related wildfires. In preparation for the start of the new recreation season, we will be working together to reduce the risk of wildfire due to escaped recreational fires on DNR-protected land. The work consists of clearing debris from and assessing campfire pits for maintenance and safety.

Who:  Everyone is invited; no RSVP necessary.
What: Wildfire Awareness Week – April 21 through May 6, 2012. Volunteers will be asked to visit campgrounds, clean out designated fire pits in preparation for the start of the new recreation season, and complete a basic assessment of each pit.
When:  Sunday, April 29, 2012
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: 

 

 Ahtanum State Forest: Ahtanum Campground
Directions:
From Yakima, go south on Interstate 82 for 2 miles.
Drive west on Ahtanum Road to Tampico.
Turn west onto the A-2000 (Middle Fork road) and drive approximately 9.5 miles.
Why: Over the past four years, there have been nearly 700 wildfires that resulted from negligent campers leaving their fire pits smoldering and unattended. Another 100 campers left campfires burning without first making sure they were fully extinguished. Fortunately, those were reported and put out before they escaped.

For further information, call Donn Rasmusson at 509-965-0624 or email donn.rasmusson@dnr.wa.gov

Twitter feed
Calling all Smokey Bear helpers. It’s the pits…that need your help! http://1.usa.gov/68qoJ  

DNR’s wildfire mission
Administered by Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, DNR is responsible for preventing and fighting wildfires on 12.7 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned forestlands. DNR is the state’s largest on-call fire department, with over 1,000 employees trained and available to be dispatched to fires as needed. During fire season, this includes over 700 DNR employees who have other permanent jobs with the agency and about 400 seasonal workers. Additionally, adult offenders from Department of Corrections and juvenile offenders from the Department of Social and Health Services-Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration participate in the DNR correctional camps program. DNR also participates in Washington’s coordinated interagency approach to firefighting.

Media Contact: Janet Pearce, Community Outreach and Education, 360-902-1122, janet.pearce@dnr.wa.gov