Smokey Bear's Ranger Station & Fire Tower

Smokey Bear's Ranger Station can be found in many National Forests throughout the United States and Canada.  Children enjoy meeting Smokey Bear whether he is at the Ranger Station or at a Fire Prevention event.  Ranger Stations are used for forest information, hiking trail information and other activities in the forest.  The fire towers have been used by Forest Rangers for years for spotting fires.  Before modern times of satellites, computer data and weather radar the towers were used frequently for monitoring the forest.  Ranger Stations are a good place for children and adults to obtain information on how to utilize and protect our forests.

Smokey Bear is one of the most recognized symbols ever.  He was so popular that he was given his own zip code 20252.  In 2019 the US Forest Service will be celebrating Smokey’s 75th year as the face of fire prevention.  Preventing forest fires and teaching children about preserving our forests is key to future generations being able to camp, hike and picnic in our forests. 

There are 155 national forests, 20 national grasslands and countless number of state forest services that use Smokey Bear for fire prevention.  It is estimated 245 million people visit the national forests each year.  They do have pamphlets they hand out, but you give a child a “LEGO Smokey Bear” or the ability to buy a Smokey Bear set and that child will be reminded of fire safety for the rest of their lives.   Which they in turn will share with friends they play with.