Following a tragic school bus fire in Bangkok that resulted in the loss of 23 lives 20 of them children, YDM Thailand and Thanachart Insurance have introduced an innovative program to turn fire safety into a daily routine for schoolchildren. The Buscape campaign takes a humble pencil case and converts it into an interactive fire escape training tool, with the aim of instilling emergency readiness into children's daily lives.
The disaster set a crucial lack of fire safety training in Thai schools, where fire drills are sometimes sporadic or entirely non-existent. "Fire drills are only held once or twice a year and some do not carry them out at all", Chief Creative Officer Anuwat Nitipanont at YDM Thailand informed. "That is just not sufficient for children to commit to what to do during a genuine crisis". Panic, confusion, and failure to act instinctively may prove fatal even to adults".
To answer this, YDM Thailand created Buscape with Thanachart Insurance and ThaiHealth, a school bus-designed pencil case which quietly teaches kids emergency evacuation drills. The case has functional emergency exits kids can play with, and a replica bus floor plan to enable them to visualize and memorize means of escape.
Within, a QR code connects to a brief, interactive animated educational video that shows children how to properly escape using fire. Daily use of the pencil case has children practicing important survival skills over and over again, developing both muscle memory and confidence.
Nitipanont highlighted the fact that Buscape is not just about protecting property it's about safeguarding the most vulnerable in critical moments. The campaign makes fire safety second nature to children by bringing it into something they engage with on a daily basis.
By transforming an ordinary school supply into a vital training tool, Buscape is a poignant reminder of how innovation, when rooted in empathy and necessity, can make a real difference. It’s a small change with a potentially life-saving impact turning a tragic lesson into a hopeful future for Thai children.
