December 17th, 2023New Crime Stoppers campaign targets fire safety

Crime Stoppers Victoria and Victoria Police this month launched their new bushfire campaign ‘You light It, you own It. – any spark can start a fire’.

The campaign asks the community to consider the consequences of their actions and to help prevent fires from occurring during the Fire Danger Period.

It is targeted at both accidental and reckless fires caused on high fire risk days by out-of-control burn-offs, re-ignition from burn-offs, maintenance activities (cutting, grinding, welding, unattended campfires/bonfires), and operation of equipment and machinery including mowers, slashers and tractors.

To help develop the campaign, the CFA Fire Investigation team worked alongside the Victoria Police Arson & Explosives Squad and Crime Stoppers Victoria. This included providing technical information and statistics about causes of fire contained in CFA’s Fire Trend Report on the ‘Causation of vegetation fires during the 2022-23 Fire Danger Period’. 

This fire causation data and statistics from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change was used to develop the messaging. The messaging will be communicated through a range of media, including Eastlink electronic signage.

Further details about the campaign are available on the Crime Stoppers Victoria website.