Left: Graph showing overall percentage of increase of number of people with a Bush Fire Survival Plan in place since March 2010. Bottom: Advertising posters over the last century.
inception of targeted public awareness campaigns over the past decade, people’s level of bush fire planning has risen from around 30 percent in 2010 to 69 percent in early 2018. “We’ve now hit a turning point in the way we communicate fire risk to the community,” explains Anthony Clark, Director of Corporate Communications. “A decade ago, if you had thought about what to do during a fire, you were in the
minority – now, you’re in the minority if you haven’t planned. “However, we know the job isn’t done yet. We know that if you scratch the surface, people often haven’t thought through their plan properly, such as when they’ll leave, what they’ll take, or what they’ll do with animals. That’s the big focus moving forward”. A new campaign is in development for the 2018–19 fire season and beyond, focusing on the concept
of improving the quality of people’s planning and preparation. “If the majority of people have at least thought about what to do, let’s get them to question whether they’ve really thought it through”.
The campaign will be supported by specialist community engagement tools, including an updated MyFirePlan.com.au website, and will tie in with this year’s Get Ready Weekend on 22 and 23 September.
From September, you can expect to see the new campaign on television, social media, in newspapers, on radio and outdoors – asking the question “How Fireproof Is Your Plan?”.
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