Smokey Joe

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - From right, Mike Connors, emergency management division chief at Det. 1, Air Force Civil Engineer Center here presents Tom Santiago, creator of Smokey Joe, with a commemorative statue bearing the character’s likeness Aug. 1, 2013. Smokey Joe has been the unofficial icon of Air Force Emergency Management for almost 30 years. (U.S. Air Force photo/Eddie Green)

Smokey Joe

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The original version of Smokey Joe was created by then Staff Sgt. Tom Santiago in 1985. The character comically depicted disaster preparedness officer Staff Sgt. Charlie Smokes and was a farewell gift upon Smokes’ transfer from the DP branch at Osan AB, Republic of Korea. Smokey Joe came to represent the “jack-of-all-trades” nature of the disaster preparedness field and was adopted as its unofficial icon. Through the transition from disaster preparedness to Air Force Emergency Management, the character’s look evolved with the times. (Courtesy artwork)

Smokey Joe

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - In 2004, Tom Santiago, then a graphic designer with Applied Research Associates, created a digital version of Smokey Joe. As with each version, equipment was updated to stay current with what emergency managers were using. The chicken, representing a live-agent detector, paid homage to the early days of the career field before electronic chemical detectors were available and replaced the rabbit in previous versions. (Courtesy artwork)

Continuing the legend of Smokey Joe

Published Aug. 30, 2013
By John Burt
AFCEC Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- His hands may be full, but he's always prepared and on the job.

He's Smokey Joe, the unofficial icon of Air Force Emergency Management. This month, Tom Santiago, Smokey Joe's creator, was honored for his contribution to the career field.

"When EM Airmen look at Smokey Joe, they see an embodiment of what their day-to-day life is like and they can relate," said Mike Connors, emergency management division chief at Det. 1, Air Force Civil Engineer Center here. "Smokey Joe is loaded down with all the gear and the things that enable EM Airmen to support the wing, especially when something bad happens."

Members of AFCEC's emergency management division as well Santiago's colleagues at Applied Research Associates, gathered Aug. 1, 2013 to present him with a commemorative statue of Smokey Joe. It was a chance to say thanks for something that has been such a special part of EM for almost 30 years.

In 1985, Staff Sgt. Santiago was at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, as part of the base's disaster preparedness branch, a forerunner to EM.

As a talented artist, he created caricatures of fellow DP Airmen, including one as a farewell gift for Staff Sgt. Charlie Smoke. The character not only paid tribute to Smoke, but to all DP officers and NCOs who responded to emergencies.

"Charlie Smoke and I were just kicking around ideas," said Santiago. "It was kind of funny. He started mentioning stuff and I started drawing it out."

Smoke took the character with him to his new training assignment at the Base Recovery After Attack school at Hurlburt AFB, Fla., the precursor to the Silver Flag Exercise Site at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

"Charlie would (cut and paste) Smokey Joe on the training products he would put out," said Larry Hull, Training Solutions Group Leader with Applied Research Associates. "I was with the Inspector General's office at the time and would travel to different bases. I began to notice this cool chemical guy on training materials."

It wasn't long before Smokey Joe caught on and came to represent the "jack-of-all-trades" nature of the DP field.

"Our career field does a lot of things that nobody else wants to do," said Connors. "The first time I saw Smokey Joe was in 1987 at my very first base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. He was on stickers on our equipment lockers."

Through the transition from disaster preparedness to Air Force Emergency Management, technology, equipment and responsibility have evolved. So has Smokey Joe. With each version, the character keeps pace with the times. Santiago says he's pleased to have played a part in this enduring icon.

"It's humbling, but it also gives me a great feeling to know I've left a little something with the Air Force," said Santiago. "The Air Force has always been close to my heart. I've met some super people."