This piece asks residents ‘How Fireproof is Your Plan?’, using powerful human stories that contrast the destructive power of fire with the dangers of insufficient planning and preparation. Developed for the New South Wales (Australia) Rural Fire Service, the campaign dramatizes a series of situations where bushfire plans have not reduced risk to people or livestock because the key questions of when they will leave, where they would go and what will they take, were not addressed in advance or in enough detail.

While 69% of people in the State of New South Wales bushfire prone areas have some form of plan, it’s critical they deepen its quality to improve their chances of survival. The client strategy therefore focuses on the need for self-reflection regarding what is, and what is not a viable plan in the face of a bushfire.

Our director grew up in the bush, with the back of the car packed every summer with photo albums, waking up to the sound of the fire warning siren blaring across town, the smell of smoke lingering in the air…There is something unsettling about an abandoned living room, half-eaten bowl of kids’ cereal on the floor, with the gentle almost calming crackling of fire heard off in the distance. The director wanted to drop our viewers right into each story, like a slap in the face. This may be why it feels bigger and more cinematic, as there’s no real beginning or end to these stories, just the middle – part of far bigger stories, stories of plans that weren't thoroughly considered, decisions being made based solely on luck, in an attempt to stay alive and reach safety.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service - Fireproof

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