Prevent forest fires! Be sure your match is out
Forest-fire prevention poster: a large painted hand holds a spent match against a yellow ground, under red headline letters drawn with flame edges, with 'Be sure your match is out' below. The tell is the flaming lettering over the small match, a fear-appeal tying an everyday act to wildfire.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1944
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, with State Forest Service
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Warn or inform
- Theme
- Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, with State Forest Service. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-465 (NAID 513935).
Text on the object
PREVENT FOREST FIRES! Be sure your match is out U. S. DEPT. AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE STATE FOREST SERVICE [imprint:] ☆ U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1944 — O — 567014
