OPINION
My husband and his son have a debate.
Maybe you, our readers, can help weigh in.
Jim remembers the name of the creature preaching fire responsibility as Smokey the Bear.
Josh, though, swears it has always been Smokey Bear.
Either way, what Smokey says is true: 'Only you can prevent forest fires.'
He became the symbol of fire safety in 1944, and there was a real-life Smokey when a bear cub was orphaned in 1950.
Josh has made fighting fires his profession, having served in both local fire departments and also in the state's forestry service.
He was even named the Firefighter of the Year by the State Firefighters' and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas for 2026.
Men and women like him are working on the local and state levels every day to keep fires at bay here in Texas this summer.
Just this week, several fires popped up in Hamilton County, where my parents live, threatening people, property, pets and livestock there.
Here in our area, activities that shouldn't be a fire danger, such as mowing or using a woodchipper, caused grass fires that could have turned into wildfires easily.
We owe it to each other to be cautious with activities and other things that could cause a fire.
When I was speaking with Aubrey Fire Chief Eric Schlotter, I asked him about what can happen when a fire starts in a pasture near a neighborhood.
While they have a word for that, which Schlotter used to explain it, I don't want us to need to use it in the newspaper to describe a scene we respond to.
Whether you think of him as Smokey Bear or Smokey the Bear, please heed his counsel about being careful.
That could save a life or even a neighborhood from being irreparably damaged.
Abigail Bardwell is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal, and she serves on both the North and East Texas Press Association and the Texas Press Association boards. She can be reached at abardwell@postsignal. com.
