What are Australia’s Emergency Warnings and Fire Danger Ratings and how should you respond?

Bushfires are a common occurrence in Australia, so knowing what to do could save your life. Source: AAP

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Australia, a country prone to extreme weather-related hazards, has a new nationally standardised Australian Fire Danger Rating System, and the Australian Warning System to help communities and first respondents understand risks, prepare, and react to different emergencies. Here's what the severity levels mean and what you should do for each one.

Highlights

Australia has new Warning System and Fire Danger Rating System.
The colour-coded Fire Danger Rating System and the Warning System are similar.
The Australian Fire Danger Rating System is used to define how dangerous a fire could become.
The Australian Warning System is used to describe the severity of an incident that is already unfolding.

In December 2019, Australia made headlines across the globe for the catastrophic bushfires that ravaged the country during the ‘Black Summer’.

Weeks after the flames charred vast swathes of land, some of the same communities affected by fire flooded, as intense rainfall and storms caused river networks to overflow.

Rob Webb, CEO of the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services in Australia and New Zealand (AFAC), says the more than 30 state and territory emergency support services collaborated to establish a coordinated approach to best communicate, prepare, and respond to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters.

“As our climate is changing, we’re seeing more and more compounding disasters,” he says.

Disasters are happening on the back of each other, or are happening over wider areas, and therefore we’re finding more and more that we’re having to share resources across our boarders.
Rob Webb, AFAC CEO

Source: AAP

Australia has recently updated and simplified its Warning System and Fire Danger Rating System, which is now nationally consistent.

This is to ensure both emergency response agencies and the community at large understand what each category of risk means and know how to react in case of a natural disaster, regardless of location.

The nationwide Australian Warning System was introduced in December 2020 and is being progressively implemented for different hazards. The newly revised Australian Fire Danger Ratings System was rolled out in September 2022.

The

Australian Fire Danger Rating System

and the

Australian Warning System

are similar, but they are used for the various stages of an emergency and different hazards.

The Australian Fire Danger Rating System is used to alert communities when to start preparing in case of fire. The Australian Warning System is used for advising the threat level of different natural hazards already unfolding.

What are the Fire Danger Ratings and what do they mean?

The new Australian Fire Danger Rating System is used to define how dangerous a fire could become if it were to start, based on weather and environmental conditions.

“The Fire Danger Rating system is specifically for fire preparedness ... It's [to] say that we need to take action in order to prepare in case a fire starts,” Fiona Dunstan, National Community Engagement Manager for the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), explains.

The four colour-coded categories of the Fire Danger Ratings are:

Moderate (green): Plan and prepare
High (yellow): Prepare to act
Extreme (orange): Take action now to protect your life and property
Catastrophic (red): For your survival, leave bush fire risk areas.

During the 'Moderate' and 'High' ratings, communities should seek information on weather conditions and stay connected to their local emergency services for updates.

The ‘Extreme’ rating means you need to action your personal bushfire survival plan. The 'Catastrophic’ rating means it is unlikely firefighters will be able to control the fire, so the safest option is to evacuate if you are in a bushfire risk area.

“[The Extreme rating means] you have to be aware of what you're going to do … whether that’s to stay in the location, or whether you're going to move to a safer place,” Mr Webb explains.

He says your bushfire survival plan and how you react will depend on your specific circumstances. While some of the more populated areas of Australia are susceptible to fires during the hotter months, other parts of the country, like the north, experience fires during the winter.

Strong winds fan Vic bushfires. Source: AAP

“It will vary from person to person, where your property is, how well-prepared your property is, but ultimately speaking, if you hear that ‘Extreme’ forecast and you’re in a bushfire prone area, that's where you must understand your own bushfire survival plan, and take that action.”

Elisabeth Goh is a long-term volunteer for the

NSW Rural Fire Service

. She says understanding these ratings is vital, as emergency personnel have to care for those who don’t evacuate on time.

“We’re often having to work with people (who don’t leave) during very intense fires… It’s actually drawing away resources from firefighting because we need to then look after people, supporting people trying to get out of those dangerous situations.”

Natural disasters in Australia Source: AAP

The Australian Warning System and what you should do

The Australian Warning System is used to describe the severity of an emergency or incident that is already unfolding. It is used for many types of natural disasters, not just for fires.

“[It is] designed to incorporate many different types of hazard warnings: flood, fire, cyclones, heat, etc.,” Ms Dunstan adds.

[It] provides a level of warning depending on the threat to people's lives or their homes or businesses.
Fiona Dunstan, AFSM

Examples of the three-tiered Australian Warning levels.

The Australian Warning System is divided into three colour-coded categories, and it is similar to the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System.

Once a bushfire or other hazard is occurring, the 3-level Australian Warning Systems kicks in. The categories are:

Advice (yellow): An incident has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Watch and Act (orange): There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.
Emergency Warning (red): An Emergency Warning is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.

Ms Dunstan says how you should react to each warning also depends on the type of emergency.

In case of floods or fire, you may need to evacuate the area. However, if the hazard is extreme heat or hailstorms, you may need to seek shelter.

She adds that knowing how you will respond beforehand is key, and suggests households should discuss a set of questions together to prepare their emergency plan, in case an alert is issued:

Where do we go?
What will we take with us?
What will we do with our pets, and or children?

Mr Webb advises everyone to contact their local emergency services to find information on the types of hazards that may occur in their area.

Do you get floods? Do you get storms? Do you get fires? Understand the risks that might be there, and learn what you can do to reduce those risks. That's most important.
Fiona Dunstan, National Community Engagement Manager, BOM

“A small investment in time to understand the hazards in the area can actually save your life further down the track,” says Ms Dunstan.