A provincial organization looking after fire safety in Quebec launched a first-of-its-kind campaign in the province this year to keep the public informed about how fires are started.

The société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) worked with LG2 for the first time on a campaign designed to raise awareness about forest fire prevention in Quebec, highlighting how 80% of forest fires are caused by human activity.

The “Avoid Avoidable Fires” campaign sends the message that forest fires leaves ashes in your hands. It draws attention to the three main causes of forest fire outbreaks in Quebec: loss of control over burning waste, discarded cigarette butts and poorly extinguished campfires.

SOPFEU prevention and communication agent Philippe Bergeron says the campaign was designed after a devastating wildfire season in Quebec and across Canada last year. The difficult season led the organization to realize that prevention and public awareness was more necessary than ever before.

“The consequences of an extreme season in 2023, and the Quebec government’s willingness to give SOPFEU more resources, made this possible. SOPFEU has always been involved in prevention, but within its means,” Bergeron tells strategy.

Bergeron adds that SOPFEU has traditionally participated in community events, outdoor sports expos, and hunting and fishing trade shows to distribute documentation and offer advice to the public. It also publishes prevention messages online and to social media, and produces educational material for elementary schools. But the new campaign is the first time it’s used mass media with other platforms simultaneously to convey an emotional awareness message.

The campaign includes a 30-second French-language video that calls for the public to reflect on the consequences of their actions on the environment and others’ safety, with the image of ashes on people’s hands calling to mind the phrase “having blood on your hands.” It’s designed to encourage a change in behaviour among the public. 

“Our thought-provoking campaign shows ordinary people who, through negligence, have caused a forest fire and who live with a sense of guilt,” Bergeron says. “Ultimately, we hope that safer habits will become widespread and that the number of fires related to human activity will decrease.”

A 15-second version of the video is also being used in digital placements, and being supplemented by English-language posters.

Bergeron says the campaign is targeted at anyone accessing or living near the forest. Its data shows that older adult males represent a greater risk for forest fires, mainly because they make more fires and can be too confident when doing so, making them a primary target for the campaign.

“Overconfidence combined with high spread conditions is not a good combination,” Bergeron says. “These men, who’ve been lighting campfires and waste fires for years, are sometimes prone to taking greater risks. They may get distracted and lose control of their fire, which can spread into the forest.”

SOPFEU also received financial support from the Quebec government to help the campaign reach a wide audience.