Sapeurs Pompiers de France: Firecatchers
Sapeurs Pompiers de France faced a critical shortage of personnel for wildfire detection during high-risk summer seasons. They tasked Havas Play with finding a cost-effective, scalable solution to monitor vast forest areas. The objective was to increase surveillance coverage and reduce response times by engaging the public, specifically targeting younger demographics who were otherwise unreachable through traditional media channels.
Creative Idea
Turned Twitch waiting screens into a live, crowdsourced forest fire surveillance network.
Firecatchers transformed the passive waiting screens of popular Twitch streamers into live forest surveillance feeds, turning thousands of gamers into active lookouts who reported wildfire anomalies to emergency services in real time, effectively crowdsourcing public safety through existing digital habits.
Turning Idle Twitch Screens Into Life-Saving Tools
From Passive Waiting to Active Surveillance
The technical architecture relied on a sophisticated bridge between the PARATRONIC ADELIE camera network and the inStreamly platform. By tapping into the SDIS 34 emergency infrastructure, the team ensured that the high-definition feeds were not just broadcast, but actionable. The integration required a custom-built API that filtered chat inputs in real-time, using a weighted algorithm to distinguish between genuine smoke sightings and typical Twitch chat spam. This ensured that firefighters only received alerts when multiple users flagged the same coordinates, effectively creating a human-powered sensor array.
Gamers as the Ultimate Watchtowers
The campaign leveraged the specific visual acuity of the gaming community. Gamers are trained to scan complex environments for minute changes, a skill set that proved surprisingly effective for spotting early-stage smoke plumes against dense forest backgrounds. By utilizing the "starting soon" screen, the agency avoided the intrusive nature of traditional pre-roll ads. Instead, they transformed a period of dead air into a high-stakes civic duty. This shift turned the streamer's lobby into a collaborative, real-time monitoring station where the audience felt a genuine sense of ownership over the safety of the Hérault region.
Scaling Through Micro-Influencers
While top-tier creators like Aypierre provided the initial reach, the true scalability came from the 650 streamers who integrated the feed. By lowering the barrier to entry for smaller creators, the campaign created a decentralized surveillance network that spanned the entire department. This mass-participation model proved that when provided with the right tools, fragmented digital audiences can be consolidated into a powerful, real-world public utility that directly protected 1,700 hectares of land.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
The brand leveraged existing high-definition forest camera infrastructure to provide real-time visual data for public monitoring.
Category
Government safety campaigns typically rely on static posters or passive broadcast ads that fail to engage younger digital audiences.
Customer
Gamers wanted to feel useful and engaged during the mundane downtime of waiting for their favorite streams to start.
Culture
The rise of interactive Twitch culture and the collective desire for civic participation turned passive viewers into active contributors.
Company
The brand leveraged existing high-definition forest camera infrastructure to provide real-time visual data for public monitoring.
Category
Government safety campaigns typically rely on static posters or passive broadcast ads that fail to engage younger digital audiences.
Strategy:
Solve real-world crises by integrating public safety infrastructure into existing digital user behaviors.
Customer
Gamers wanted to feel useful and engaged during the mundane downtime of waiting for their favorite streams to start.
Culture
The rise of interactive Twitch culture and the collective desire for civic participation turned passive viewers into active contributors.
Strategy:
Solve real-world crises by integrating public safety infrastructure into existing digital user behaviors.
Results
The campaign successfully mobilized 150,000 viewers who became active fire rangers. These volunteers contributed 2,790 hours of unpaid forest surveillance. This collective effort directly prevented 5 major wildfires and protected over 1,700 hectares of forest compared to the previous year. The initiative is set to scale internationally, with Slovenia and Greece joining the movement in 2026.
150,000
viewers became fire rangers
2,790
hours of unpaid surveillance
+1,700
hectares protected
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
Instead of creating traditional awareness content, the agency built a functional surveillance system. This strategy solves a real-world problem by integrating the brand directly into the audience's existing digital infrastructure.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Unexpected Utility
The campaign repurposed the dead time of Twitch waiting screens into a functional tool for wildfire detection. It turned a passive digital habit into a life-saving public service utility.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional due to its brilliant media planning and digital integration, turning dead airtime into a life-saving utility. It seamlessly bridges gaming culture with civic duty through smart UX design.
Hacking the passive 'Starting Soon' screens of Twitch streams is an incredibly clever use of underutilized digital real estate.
The seamless integration of live forest camera feeds directly into the Twitch streaming ecosystem created an intuitive, real-time reporting tool.
“The magic lies in the synergy between media planning and digital craft, transforming a passive waiting screen into a gamified, crowdsourced surveillance network.”
