HERO Launches Vital New Public Awareness Campaign for NSW Rural Fire Service

HERO has launched a vital public awareness campaign for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), centred on the sobering reality that "One Ember Can End It."

This latest creative direction moves away from the traditional imagery of massive fire fronts to focus on a more insidious threat: the single, wind-borne ember. By visualizing how one small spark can travel long distances to ignite a home from the inside out—often landing in a clogged gutter or under a deck—HERO highlights that bushfire risk isn't just about proximity to the bush, but about the specific vulnerabilities of a property.

The campaign designed by HERO serves as a critical evolution of the Prepare. Act. Survive. framework, which has been a cornerstone of NSW RFS community engagement since the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday bushfires. The impact of this long-term strategy is undeniable; when the initiative first commenced, only around 30 percent of the population had a bushfire plan. By 2020, that number had grown to more than 80 percent.

With "One Ember Can End It," HERO aims to bridge the remaining gap in community preparedness, transforming general awareness into the urgent, proactive maintenance required to save lives and homes. In addition to this targeted creative work, the NSW RFS continues to lead the national rollout of the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS).

This project of national significance, developed with Commonwealth Government support, ensures that fire danger is communicated through a unified, clear, and actionable scale across the country. In NSW, this national system is supported by an extensive multi-channel implementation across television, radio, and social media, ensuring the community knows exactly when the risk is too high to stay.

Ultimately, the message delivered by HERO and the NSW RFS is one of empowerment through action. Preparing your home and formalizing your survival strategy are the most effective ways to mitigate the unpredictable nature of an ember attack. Residents are urged not to wait for a fire to start before considering their options. Start your fire plan now at myfireplan.com.au.