Fire from the gods

By Chuck Bushey

The use of graphic design to create a visual association with a concept has been around for thousands of years. Since the 1950s, in fact, there has been a boom in commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals adopting logotypes or ideograms to aid and promote instant public recognition of their group, commercial product or even idea.

Many graphic marks and emblems are instantly recognizable around the world. The emblem of the IAWF, seen next to this column, has been around for only a few decades. While it may not be as recognizable as some other emblems, it is familiar around the world as the symbol of a prominent organization focused on the exchange of knowledge concerning all aspects of wildland fire use and suppression.

The IAWF circle, which features a hand with a flame prominently displayed in its palm, is both easily recognizable and memorable — the trait of a good logo. What I have come to realize over the years, however, is that the meaning behind our emblem is not commonly known or understood. It is actually a visual abstraction of the Greek myth concerning the origin of fire.

If you remember your classical mythology, you should be familiar with the story of Prometheus. In that story, Zeus, the omnipotent king of the gods, hid fire from mankind after Prometheus tricked him into accepting less-worthy sacrificial offerings. Later, Prometheus returned fire to the naked and defenseless mortals for their beneficial use. For this theft, Prometheus was chained to a mountain, where an eagle devoured his liver every day, only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next. Mankind, too, was punished by the enraged Zeus, who sent the first woman to live among them. Pandora arrived carrying a container that, when opened, released evil and pain upon the world. Hope only remained when the lid was replaced.

Our IAWF emblem represents the handing over of fire to mankind so we could learn to use it wisely. The mythological receiving of fire was the easy part. The safe use of fire by our early ancestors was a unique and major leap forward in our evolution. Some scientists have even suggested the increase in hominid brain size, compared to other primates, might be the result of our learning to cook our prey versus eating raw meat.

Whatever the case, understanding the many uses of fire as well as how to protect ourselves from its unwanted effects, is obviously a continuing process. Learning and understanding includes not only using fire to heat homes and cook gourmet food but also building diverse, modern civilizations, of which mechanical fire use is such an integral part. It also represents our knowledge and use of fire in the natural world, which will always be a vital part of the lives of earth's wild vegetation and animals. And it represents the dilemma that fire presents to all of us: the hurt and pain of Pandora's Box, which causes us to place such great emphasis on knowledge and safety during fire suppression as well as during fire use.

It is up to all of us to teach the pros and cons of wildland fire to newer generations around the world. IAWF provides the communication tools, such as our many acclaimed conference series, our Web site, Wildfire magazine, the International Journal of Wildland Fire and FireNet. We are here, with your help, to keep the flame of knowledge alive and to pass it on.

International Assn. of Wildland Fire
3416 Primm Ln.
Birmingham, AL 35216

ph: 205-824-7614
iawf@iawfonline.org

To join the IAWF, visit www.iawfonline.org

Send them to:
Wildfire Magazine

Attn: Kevin Daniels
kevindaniels@earthlink.net