Smokey Bear visited Fifth Ward Elementary, LaPlace Elementary, East St. John Elementary, Emily C. Watkins Elementary, Lake Ponchartrain Elementary and John L. Ory Magnet to encourage students to practice fire safety. Patti Rodrigue, the local Agriculture in the Classroom coordinator, worked with the Louisiana Department of Forestry to bring Smokey Bear to St. John Parish. Malhon Doucet (right), an educational programs coordinator for LDAF, tells Smokey Bear’s (played by Bennett Waylan) story to the students of East St. John Elementary School. During a forest fire, Smokey climbed to the top of a tree; he was rescued by veterinarians and taken to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. He became an American Hero and the spokesperson for forest fire safety.