The “fire danger today” sign serves as a local mirror to the global doomsday clock, signaling the potential for catastrophic disaster. However, unlike the doomsday clock, which feels, like many international issues, impossible to control. The fire danger sign speaks directly to the individual. Smokey Bear, who was born just three years before the doomsday clock, addresses each of us directly, “Remember… Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.” 

Lighting a fire can be a symbol of protest, and not lighting a fire can be a symbol of unity. When we go into the woods on a burn ban day, we are trusting our neighbors to keep us alive. We are trusting that each of us will make the individual sacrifice of warmth, caveman TV, and toasted marshmallows, in order to maintain the forest and maintain order.