BLM Fire Employees Presented a 2024 Silver Smokey Bear Award

BLM Fire Employees Presented a 2024 Silver Smokey Bear Award

Aug 29, 2024

BLM campaign lead and Maverik advertisement creators. From left to right, Tim Roberts, Kelsey Griffee, and Jeremy Mathews. Photo by Maverik.

In the world of wildfire prevention, there is no greater honor than to receive a Smokey Bear award. These special awards are reserved for people or organizations that provide sustained, outstanding service, with significant program impact, in the wildfire prevention arena. Honorees demonstrate innovation, creativity, commitment, and passion for wildfire prevention.

The Spark Safety Campaign Team, a special group of 2024 honorees including Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Fire mitigation and education specialists in Nevada, Utah, and Idaho partnered with regional gas station chain Maverik - Adventure's First Stop, to create memorable public service announcement (PSA) videos that celebrate the culture of the western United States with creative fire prevention messaging. Campfire safety messages were also placed on firewood bundles sold at Maverik stores.

"Everyone has a role to play in fire prevention, and by reviewing our fire causes we can identify creative ways to target audiences to take fire prevention actions," said Kelsey Griffee, Assistant State Fire Management Officer, Fuels and Planning for BLM Nevada, and the fire safety campaign project lead. "Through government and corporate partnerships such as this one with Maverik, a larger audience can be reached in hopes to achieve behavioral changes necessary to prevent human caused wildfires and that is the beauty of this campaign. While people are gassing up at the pump, they are hearing and seeing the message to tie up their trailer chains and can check theirs before heading off on their adventure…spark safety, not wildfires!"

A still from the video "Spark Safety, Not Wildfires" campaign.

Over the course of three years, this public-private partnership aired six original fire prevention PSAs for over 100 million views in Maverik stores across 12 states, and sold 391,521 firewood bundles with "Drown, Stir, Feel" messaging. This creative group also inspired similar spin-off campaigns among other fire agencies and national fire prevention education teams.

"The collective work spearheading the Spark Safety Campaign is a wonderful and innovative effort to positively represent the BLM and spread wildfire prevention messaging," said Grant Beebe, Assistant Director Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation. 

During the award ceremony appropriately held on Smokey Bear's 80th birthday, the Silver Smokey Award was presented to the Spark Safety Campaign Team by Mike Nedd, Deputy Director for Administration and Programs for the Bureau of Land Management, on August 9, 2024, at the USDA Jamie L. Whitten Building in Washington DC.

The Silver Smokey Bear award. Each member of the Spark Safety Campaign Team received a silver Smokey pin. Photo by Tim Roberts, Maverik.The Fire Safety Campaign team, including BLM Fire and Maverik representatives, accepting the Silver Smokey Award presented by Mike Nedd on August 9, 2024. Photo by Edden Jablonski

The national Smokey Bear Awards, sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council, recognize outstanding service in the prevention of human-caused wildfires to increase public recognition and awareness of the need for continuing wildfire prevention efforts. This merit award has been bestowed upon well-deserving groups and individuals annually since 1957 for outstanding work and significant program impact on wildfire prevention.

The award was presented to the following members of the Spark Safety Campaign Team:

Kelsey Griffee, BLM Nevada State Office
Debra Hamill, BLM Utah State Office 
Kelsey Brizendine, BLM Idaho State Office 
Jared Jablonski, BLM Idaho Boise District 
Jennifer Myslivy, BLM Fire at NIFC
Carrie Bilbao, BLM Fire at NIFC
Jeremy Mathews, Maverik, Co-writer/Director
Tim Roberts, Maverik, Co-writer/Cinematographer

The Fire Safety Campaign team with presenter Mike Nedd and the Silver Smokey Award. Back row left to right: Mike Nedd, Jared Jablonski, Kelsey Brizendine, Tim Roberts, Carrie Bilbao, and Deb Hamill (not pictured Jennifer Myslivy). Front row left to right: Jeremy Mathews and Kelsey Griffee. Photo by Edden Jablonski.

Carrie Bilbao, Public Affairs Specialist, BLM Fire