What's the right way to launch a free public-safety tool to a non-tech audience?

I've been building Wildfire-Ready for 8 months — a free bilingual wildfire info app for BC and Alberta launching ahead of the 2026 fire season. Pulls from 8 official Canadian government sources (BC Wildfire Service, Alberta Wildfire, NASA FIRMS, ECCC, DriveBC, 511 Alberta, EmergencyInfoBC, Alberta Emergency Alerts) into one map. No ads, no subs, never will be — public-interest infrastructure, non-profit incorporation in progress.

The build was the easy part. The launch is the part I'm genuinely uncertain about.

Most launch playbooks (PH, Reddit, IH) assume your audience is other builders or SaaS buyers. My audience is middle-aged residents in fire-prone BC and Alberta communities — many of whom got their first smartphone five years ago. PH itself probably isn't where they'll find it.

So far I've gone direct: cold-calling regional districts, FireSmart, BCWS, insurance partners, and posting in local Facebook groups. That's working — got a Fire Information Officer downloading the app today and four warm internal handoffs at regional governments.

What I'd love feedback on from this community:

- For builders who've shipped to non-tech audiences, what actually worked beyond local FB groups and direct outreach?

- For anyone who's launched a public-interest / public-safety project specifically — what surprised you?

- And honestly: is it worth doing a Product Hunt launch at all when the audience is residents, not makers? Or is PH better as a credibility signal for grant/partnership conversations later?

App: wildfire-ready.ca · iOS public TestFlight: testflight.apple.com/join/BAzxBXy7