Empowering at-risk communities through storytelling.
Challenge.
Many British Columbians think making their own property FireSmart is hard enough, let alone getting the whole neighbourhood on board. We needed to convey how accessible getting your property wildfire-ready can be when using FireSmart resources. By empowering individuals to implement fire-safety practices, we encouraged communities to achieve official recognition through the FireSmart Neighbourhood Recognition Program (FNRP). To do this, we needed to tell the stories of communities currently stepping up and coming together to make their neighbourhoods more resilient to wildfire. These communities are often humble, quiet towns, so we needed to put them on the map and provide a platform to amplify their voices.
Solution.
To inspire new communities, we made an ongoing series of Neighbourhood Feature videos, highlighting existing FireSmart communities that were already doing the work. To preserve authenticity, we interviewed real people who had collaborated with their neighbours to become a FireSmart neighbourhood. To resonate with the largest audience possible, we showed a range of communities–from small rural towns to summery tourist destinations, even spotlighting places that had been affected by wildfires. These are the success stories that can inspire more at-risk areas to come together and get FireSmart.
Coordination.
We worked closely with communities to find residents who could tell their stories in a way that inspired others.
Frequency.
We consistently produced high-quality content from around the province through responsive video production.
