Never too young to learn fire prevention

MEREDITH — Children from the Lakes Region and beyond were treated to a visit by Smokey Bear and state forest rangers at the Meredith Public Library on Friday morning.

About 30 children, some as young as infants, gathered in the function room, where they were greeted by Patrolman Larry Wells, Sgt. John Doyle and Sgt. Katie Baughman, of the Forest Protection Bureau of the New Hampshire Division of Forest and Lands.

“We’re just here, spreading Smokey Bear’s message of wildfire prevention,” said Doyle, who also brought his 3-year-old son, Leon, to the event. “We go to any event where we are wanted, like libraries, fairs, career fairs, school, and things like that.”

Children with their families made their way into the room, and plopped down on cushions that looked like tree trunks. They listened along as Doyle read a story, and showed off the illustrations, highlighting Smokey and his fire prevention tactics. The story outlined the five prevention rules Smokey lives by, with No. 1 being his famous slogan: “Only you can prevent wildfires.”

Other rules are always be careful with fire; never play with matches and lighters; always watch your campfire; and make sure your campfire is completely out.

The timing of the event is fitting, as firefighters throughout the region have been busy battling brush fires, notably a large fire in Rumney that brought in agencies from 15 communities.

After finishing the story, Doyle said Smokey is excited to hear the “Smokey Bear Song,” and he thought that if he played it, Smokey could make an appearance. Doyle grabbed his guitar and sang the tune, much to the delight of the children, and moments later, Smokey walked through the door, with Baughman and librarian Karen Henchey.

Maddie Briare, 4, of Laconia, was with her grandfather Scott Ringer, who she calls Pop Pop. Briare was excited to get a picture taken with the firefighting icon, and Ringer said they saw he was coming, and knew they had to be there.

Cheryl Goebel, of Meredith, was with her 17-month-old granddaughter, and said it was a great experience.

“I think it’s great to introduce them to all the stuff like this, that is important for our mountains,” Goebel said.

Charlene and Pat Plourde brought their 3-year-old grandson Lander to see Smokey, and said it is important to their family, as Lander’s mother works for the U.S. Forest Service.

On the way there, Lander was talking about how much he liked Smokey, but like many children will do, when they see him in real life, they get a little shy.

Charlie Liberge was with his 2-year-old grandson of the same name. They came all the way from Lake Bluff, Illinois, to vacation in Meredith, as they customarily do every year.

“We were at the library the other day, and Charlie really wanted to come back to see Smokey,” he said.

Rebecca and Andrew Hatshorn, of Lexington, Massachusetts, were also vacationing in Meredith, with their 3-year-old son Hayden. They said Hayden was excited to see Smokey for the first time, after hearing he would be at the library.

Doyle said, after the event, seeing the look on the children's faces when they see Smokey is one of the most rewarding things about his job.

“I love it,” Doyle said. “I love singing songs for my son, and love singing songs for all the kids. Seeing the smiles on their faces is pretty awesome.”

The appearance was part of the Meredith Public Library summer reading program, led by Henchey, who has been running it for the past 18 years. Henchey said this is a very young group, and she has been super busy, often with dozens of kids of all ages showing up.

Doyle usually comes to the library, but couldn’t make it last year, because he was in Alaska, fighting fires.

“That’s what they do,” Henchey said. “They’ll be back next year. It’s a good program, and a wonderful turnout all summer.”