Be FireReady this summer – plan, prepare and practise

By Adele Buhagiar

One of the flagship programs coming out of the Living with Fire Community Engagement Framework is a joint awareness campaign by CFA, MFB, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), and the Department of Human Services (DHS).

The key themes of this campaign are 'Are you FireReady?' and 'Plan, Prepare and Practise'. It aims to increase awareness among Victorians that they have a responsibility to prepare themselves, their families and their properties for the heightened risk of bushfires each summer. The campaign not only focuses on the physical preparations involved, but also on the emotional preparedness of people facing the risk of bushfires.

The main feature of this campaign is a 60-second television advertisement. It has an emotive, yet positive, tone and calls people to action to look for more information and request a 'FireReady' kit.

Other calls to action include:

• The FireReady mini portal: www.fireready.vic.gov.au This site has links to all the relevant information on the different agency websites. People will be able to download the bushfire survival plan & templates from here.
• Victorian Bushfire Information Line (VBIL) phone number - 1800 240 667
• SMS "fireready" to 13 GOVT. People will receive a reply requesting their mailing details, which they can send through to start receiving information.

The campaign also features two 30-second television ads, four radio ads, as well as various print, online and outdoor ads. The campaign starts this week and will run until April next year.

The 'Are you FireReady?' 60-second television advertisement.

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