Across the country, fire and emergency services are applying nationally consistent colours, signs and terminology. This means that wherever you go in Australia, and whatever the season or bushfire fuels you’re surrounded by, you can understand the level of threat and what you need to do to stay safe.
Australia is a continent prone to bushfire which can pose considerable danger to lives and property. Fire danger ratings predict and describe the potential level of danger, should a bushfire start.
Fire danger ratings are important because they provide you with information to take action to protect yourself and others from the potentially dangerous impacts of bushfire. The lso provide emergency services with information that supports decision-making
The move to a simpler system is informed by extensive community consultation and backed by improvements in science, which will mean we can better predict areas of greater risk on days of fire danger.
The Australian Fire Danger Rating System uses four easy to recognise rating levels, each with a message to encourage you to take action to protect yourself and others in the face of bushfire risk.
The fire danger rating levels are:
- Moderate: Plan and prepare
- High: Prepare to act
- Extreme: Take action now to protect your life and property.
- Catastrophic: For your survival, leave bush fire risk areas.
The white bar under Moderate indicates No Rating for days where no proactive action is required by a community. This does not mean that fires cannot happen, but that any fires that start are not likely to move or act in a way that threatens the safety of the community.
You can find out more here