Victorian government launches confronting bushfire ad campaign
Highly emotive ads including footage of bushfire affected families will kick off today as Victoria prepares for a long and dry season. Black Saturday survivors joined the Premier in launching the campaign, which is designed to be “hard hitting” and confronting.
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Confronting bushfire safety ads will kick off from today as Victoria faces a long and dry season.
Black Saturday survivors joined Premier Daniel Andrews and Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville for the launch of the campaign today, warning Victoria was among the most bushfire prone areas in Australia.
The campaign comes as bushfires rage in NSW and Queensland with at least three people dead and 150 homes destroyed.
Mr Andrews warned the blazes were a reminder the season ahead would be long and dry and called on Victorians to be ready.
“Most people think they know fire and that they’re prepared, but we simply can’t afford to be complacent,” he said.
The ‘how well do you know fire?’ campaign will run across television channels and other media highlighting the risks of fire, including the fact that embers can start a fire 40km away and people can die when within 300m of flames.
The ads are highly emotive and include footage of families.
“These are confronting images and they are designed to be confronting,” Mr Andrews said.
“We know this will be distressing for some,” Ms Neville said.
But the campaign has been designed with experts to be “hard hitting”.
“Last season we had 4000 fires in our landscape … and most Victorians were not aware of this.
“It is time to change our messaging,” Ms Neville said.
She also pointed to the fires in NSW and Queensland and said these were reminders that it was going to be an especially dangerous season.
“These are just a reminder of what happens when you have a dry landscape,” she said.
Emergency Services Commissioner Andrew Crisp said last season 750 personnel helped from interstate and Victoria was now helping other states battling blazes currently.
More than 370 firefighters and experts have already been deployed to NSW with two additional strike teams to be flown in today and fire trucks will also be sent.
A team will also be dispatched to Queensland.
He said the message was to be prepared by clearing property and cleaning your gutters and leave early.
“You have got to have a plan and you have to be very strict when to enact it.
“It’s too late when the fire is on your doorstep.”
Victoria is heading into the season with the largest aerial fleet ever with a record 50 aircraft.
But Mr Andrews said the reality was there would “not be a fire truck at every gate”.
Both, Ms Neville and Mr Andrews admitted the number of CFA volunteers in Victoria were not as high as hoped but said they would continuing resourcing stations.