The Owensboro Fire Department’s playful TikTok videos are drawing thousands of views while sharing fire safety tips and recruiting messages
Owensboro Fire Department/TikTok
NEED TO KNOW
- The Owensboro Fire Department launched a TikTok to share fire-safety tips with humor
- Officials said the goal is to reach younger audiences and boost awareness beyond Kentucky
- The department’s videos are gaining traction, with thousands of views and growing followers
A Kentucky fire department is taking an unexpected approach to public safety: comedy.
The Owensboro Fire Department has begun sharing humorous TikTok videos that weave fire-prevention advice into playful skits — an effort officials say helps important messages land with audiences who might otherwise scroll past.
The idea, according to FireRescue1, came from city communications staff who saw short-form video as a way to expand the department’s reach beyond its existing social media channels. Within days of launching the account, the department had already drawn more than 1,000 followers and thousands of views.
“Our growth is huge on there,” digital marketing coordinator Maddie Haynes said, as per FireRescue1, of the early response.
The clips are intentionally lighthearted, often featuring firefighters acting out exaggerated scenarios tied to real safety reminders — from seasonal hazards to household fire risks. Officials say humor can make practical information more approachable in an online space crowded with serious messaging.
@owensborofiredept
We’re on TikTok! If this is where you are, this is where we’ll be. We’ve got important fire safety information to share, and we’re willing to get creative to make sure you see it! Follow the Owensboro Fire Department on Facebook, Instagram, and now TikTok.
♬ original sound – Owensboro Fire Dept.
“On the internet, everyone is yelling,” city communications manager Shaelie Velez told the outlet. Humor, she said, gives viewers a reason to pause and pay attention.
Department leaders stress that while the videos are playful, the mission is not. Fire Chief James Howard said appearing on new platforms helps ensure critical prevention advice reaches more people across age groups.
“We want to make sure we are capturing as much of the demographic as we can,” Howard told FireRescue1.
For firefighters themselves, the project has also offered a chance to show a different side of the job — one that rarely appears during emergency calls.
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“We are normal people, like everyone else,” Battalion Chief Brian Roberts told the outlet, adding that staff who were initially hesitant quickly embraced the creative effort.
Ultimately, officials hope the videos’ reach extends far beyond Owensboro. Even if viewers live in another state, they say, the safety reminders still matter.
“We are not picky” about where people learn fire-prevention habits, Roberts said, “as long as the message gets out.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the Owensboro Fire Department for comment.
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