U.S. Forest Service, NFPA, and Ad Council Launch National Wildfire Preparedness PSA Campaign

June 11, 2012

In the midst of wildfire season throughout much of the country, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the Ad Council have launched a new public service advertising (PSAs) campaign, Fire Adapted Communities, which aims to help individuals prepare their homes and communities for the threat of wildfire. Created pro bono by advertising agency Draftfcb, this campaign addresses the issue of proactively mitigating wildfire damage in fire-prone communities.

Nearly 70,000 communities nationwide are at risk from wildfire, according to the National Association of State Foresters. Embers from a wildfire travel great distances, often causing new wildfires more than a mile from their origin. It can take years for communities and local ecosystems to recover from a wildfire. In addition, wildfires cost government, businesses and individuals billions of dollars each year in suppression costs and damage to homes, infrastructure, the economy, and resources.

“This campaign will help individual homeowners and communities safeguard their homes from wildfire threats,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We are pleased to partner with the Ad Council and the National Fire Protection Association to help educate communities – especially those next to wooded areas – on simple steps they can take to help protect their property and families when wildfires strike.”

Wildfire is an inevitable fact of life. This campaign raises awareness that those living in fire-prone communities must prepare in advance to mitigate wildfire damage when it occurs. The more proactive actions a community takes, the more fire adapted it becomes.

The television, radio, print, outdoor, and web PSAs aim to empower residents to proactively take the steps to make their communities fire adapted by reinforcing that “you can’t control where a wildfire ember will land – but you can control what happens when it does.” The ads direct audiences to visit a new comprehensive web site, www.FireAdapted.org, where they can find a host of resources on how to prepare for wildfires. The new web portal is a one-stop shop for the latest developments in wildfire safety, best practices, toolkits and programs of the nation’s leading wildfire organizations.