Sunday 27th November 2011 20:00hrs

2011/12 Summer Advertising Campaign

As a result of a State Government briefing provided to VFBV concerning this years summer advertising campaign, VFBV sought and was approved permission to provide our members with an advance viewing of the planned TV commercials which are scheduled to begin airing as of Thursday December 1st. Our intent is to provide members the opportunity to view these advertisements at a time of their own choosing, rather than perhaps stumbling across them on commercial TV when they may not be prepared.

VFBV would like to thank the State Government, Premier and Minister for their support in helping us do our best to minimise distress amongst volunteers and staff who are still living with the fallout from their experiences in 2009.

Please be aware: The campaign is built around communicating the importance of having a plan and not leaving life critical decisions to the last minute. The approach is confronting, but the intention is to get a very important public safety message out to the community, and particularly to people who live in high risk fire locations.

"We need to bring home the reality that the bushfire threat applies to all Victorians. The intent is to make sure that people, particular those who live in high risk bushfire areas, are better prepared against the threat of fire. As we know, community complacency is a constant challenge when encouraging people to take some time out to plan their course of action."

"It is recognised that the TV and radio advertisements may upset some people, particularly those who were directly affected by the 2009 bushfires. We recognise that this includes numbers of our own volunteers and staff. I encourage you to talk to your family and colleagues about these advertisements and ensure they know they are coming, and how they might avoid them if that is their wish."Chief Officer, Euan Ferguson AFSM

If you or someone you know feel they may be distressed by this campaign, there are a number of actions you can take to limit your exposure;

1. To avoid the TV commercials altogether, a listing of the programs in which the advertisements will be run will be available on the CFA website. This list will be updated weekly. The advertisements will not be played during children's viewing times as rated by FreeTV Australia.
   
   
2. You may wish to view the advertisements (provided below) with friends, family or loved ones so that you do so in a safe and supportive environment
   
   
3. You may wish to discuss your experiences or reaction with a counselling service. These services are provided at no charge.

Support Services Available

The following service is available at no charge to all members of the general public;

Victorian Bushfire Information Line: 1800 240 667

The following services are provided at no charge to all CFA members and their direct families;

Converge International Chaplains & Psychologists	1800 337 068
PPC Worldwide Psychologists & Counsellors	1300 361 008
CFA After Hours Welfare Support Line	1800 628 616

CFA Peer Support is also available by contacting your District/Regional Peer Coordinator directly or through the Rostered Duty Officer.

Message from the Premier

TV Campaign

The campaign launches with a 60 second advertisement. It will be followed over the coming weeks by three 30 second advertisements - two focusing on the importance of having a plan - to be prepared and to know when to leave, and the other targeting travellers, with the key message being to check out fire warnings before you travel and not travel into high risk fire locations on a Code Red day.

Don't adjust your screens - these commercials are intentionally filmed to recreate the effect of being caught in thick black smoke - they are darkly lit and purposely difficult to make out images.

Click on the video's below to view. The first 30 second commercial focusses on the importance of preparing, the second about the risk of travelling, the third focusses on knowing when to leave and the last one is a 60 second with no voice over.

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