California Forest Firefighters Use Dynamic Car Wraps to Recruit New Members

WrapStar Pro transforms Cal Fire SUVs into mobile job postings.

PRINT SHOP: WrapStar Pro | wrapstarpro.com
LOCATION: Sacramento, California
TOOLS AND SUPPLIES: Roland DG TrueVis VG3 series printer/cutters, Arlon SLX Cast Wrap film, Arlon Series 3310 PVC-Free overlaminate, Continental Grafix perforated window film.

MANY ORGANIZATIONS SPREAD the word about job opportunities by posting on their website or platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn, perhaps chatting with job seekers at career fairs or campus recruiting events. When the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) began planning their recruitment initiative, they turned to WrapStar Pro to up the ante. The shop out of Sacramento, CA, got to work designing wraps that could turn the department’s SUVs into rolling billboards highlighting countless job opportunities within the air team and firefighter ground team.

“WrapStar Pro and Cal Fire worked closely for eight months, creating two design concepts,” says Kristin Lanzarone, CEO, WrapStar Pro. “It’s not easy to do graphic design work for the state or government. Our collaboration was a testament to being easy and patient to work with.”

The shop designed two full-coverage wraps for the department’s fleet of SUVs, with graphics on all four sides plus the roof. “One SUV has the California bear and star [from the California Bear Flag] on the roof for those aerial views,” says Lanzarone.

The team printed 820 square feet of Arlon SLX Cast Wrap film, Arlon Series 3310 PVC-Free overlaminate, and Continental Grafix perforated window film using the shop’s Roland DG TrueVis VG3 series printer/cutters. Lanzarone says they opted for a non-PVC overlam for added horizontal life in California desert zones and leveraged new Roland VG3 TR2 ink technology to achieve the required print and color quality.

WrapStar Pro printed and installed two SUV wraps over the span of two weeks, carefully installing around bullet- and fireproof door handles that couldn’t be removed and had to be wrapped separately. The designs were displayed at a summit at McClellan Air Force Base, later transforming Cal Fire’s existing fleet vehicles into moving billboards for their statewide recruitment program.

Kelsey Johnson

Kelsey Johnson joined the Big Picture and Screen Printing teams as assistant editor in January 2017 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. She is based out of Cincinnati and spends her free time exploring local coffee shops and driving all over the Midwest attending concerts.