When it comes to safety, nothing beats a good slogan. Over the years, dozens of health and safety messages have come into popular culture, all designed to target a specific threat and educate the public — and make the lives of first responders a little bit easier on the margins.
How well do you know these slogans?
Fire safety slogans
“Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”
Originating in 1944, this iconic Smokey Bear catchphrase is the Ad Council’s longest running campaign that continues to this day. The verbiage was updated in 2001 to replace “forest fires” with “wildfires.”
Prior to the creation of Smokey Bear, fire prevention messaging was promoted using Walt Disney’s characters from the movie Bambi, which premiered in 1942. However, the government was only authorized to use the character’s likeness in messaging for one year, prompting officials to come up with an original character. On Aug. 9, 1944, known as Smokey Bear’s birthday, the now-iconic fire service mascot was introduced to the public.
“Stop, drop and roll.”
This directive is a classic fire safety slogan that emerged from the NFPA’s Learn Not to Burn program that originated in the 1970s.
Dick Van Dyke was famously used in public safety messaging to educate the public about the dangers of structure fires, what they should do in the event their own home catches fire, and how to extinguish a fire on their person.
“Close before you doze.”
This slogan was created after years of research by UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), and was promoted during Fire Prevention Week in 2018. Steve Kerber, vice president and executive director for FSRI, said the safety message is simple and easy for communities to understand and implement, making it an effective PSA: “‘Close Before You Doze’ focuses on straightforward actions and simple behavioral changes which can provide critical help in delaying the spread of fire. This doesn’t require major effort or going out and buying anything.”
“Change your clocks, change your batteries.”
A campaign created through a decades-long partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer, the slogan reminds the public to check the battery in their smoke detectors twice a year when they change their clocks for Daylight Savings Time.
Law enforcement safety slogans
“If you see something, say something.”
This slogan was created after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to remind residents to report suspicious activity. The MTA allowed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to use the slogan in July 2010 as part of a nationwide anti-terrorism campaign. It was also turned into a national day of awareness in 2018, recognizing September 25 as “See Something, Say Something” Awareness Day, also known as #SeeSayDay.
“Click it or ticket.”
First implemented in North Carolina in 1993, the “Click it or ticket” slogan was expanded nationwide in 2003 as an effective message to remind drivers that seat belt use saves lives. It is considered one of the most successful safety campaigns in preventing vehicle crash deaths, with seat belt use estimated at 92% in 2022.
“Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”
Another widely recognized slogan, “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk” was launched in 1990 through the Ad Council in partnership with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Within in a year of the campaign going live, rates of alcohol-related fatalities declined by 10%.
In 2005, the Ad Council updated the messaging to focus on the semantics used by people when justifying driving while under the influence: “Buzzed driving is drunk driving.”
The new focus encourages “young men 21 to 34 to examine their own warning signs of impairment and take responsibility for their decisions behind the wheel by reminding them: If you need to do something to make yourself feel okay to drive, you’re not okay to drive.”
“Take a bite out of crime.”
Launched in 1979, McGruff the Crime Dog was created to encourage collaborative efforts to combat general lawbreaking with the iconic slogan: “Take a bite out of crime.”
BONUS | McGruff trivia: There are more than 4,000 costumed McGruffs in the country!
In the 1980s, McGruff focused on encouraging communities to create neighborhood watch programs and clean up parks and communal areas to deter criminal activity. During the 1990s, messaging pivoted to focus on the effects of gun violence on children, while current education is focused on “bullying, cyberbullying, internet safety, telemarketing crime against seniors, identity theft, intellectual property theft and safe firearm storage.”
EMS & public health slogans
“Move over: It’s the law.”
With the goal of keeping first responders safe when working at roadway incidents, South Carolina passed the country’s first “Move Over” law in 1996 after Paramedic James D. Garcia was struck and injured while working a crash scene. By 2012, all 50 states had adopted similar laws.
“Stop the bleed, save a life.”
The “Stop the Bleed” campaign was a White House initiative launched in October 2015 to encourage and empower bystanders to respond effectively during traumatic situations until professional help arrives. The campaign includes annual awareness days during EMS Week and year-round training throughout the country at the local level.
Learn more:
- What is ‘Stop the Bleed’?
- 9 solutions to help you Stop the Bleed
- On-demand webinar: When seconds count – Stop the bleed
“Coughs and sneezes spread diseases.”
This catchy slogan was used in the U.S. during the Spanish Influenza pandemic from 1918-1920.
The global death toll from the 1918 pandemic was 50 million, with an estimated 500 million having been infected with the virus — roughly 33% of the world’s population at the time.
The same slogan was later used in Britain during World War II and to combat the H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009.
During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in the U.S., the slogan was updated to “Stop the spread” to help slow the rate of transmission of the virus in order to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed with patients.
WEIGH IN | Did we miss an iconic public safety slogan? Send an email to editor@ems1.com and we can add it to the list.
