ABSTRACT
Communication about wildfire preparedness and wildfire safety is increasingly being seen by many fire agencies in Australia as an important part of day-to-day operations. This communication role is often shared between the main wildfire-fighting service in any given State and other relevant government departments. This chapter considers the changing nature of wildfire preparedness and safety communication, focusing in particular on the potential of a socially engaged approach to communication and the importance of recognising and engaging a variety of audiences. It demonstrates the significant variation in approaches to communication campaigns across different organisations and the differences in attitudes among professionals in this area. The chapter highlights a number of areas of concern, including messaging development and evaluation, audience engagement and understandings of audience segmentation and diversity, as well as the ongoing and ineffective focus on a transmission model of communication that involves a top-down 'command and control' attitude and practice.
