App another tool for fire preparation

The Pinery fire survivors say it is a "useful tool" and were avid users, along with the CFS website, before it was shut down in January last year after system failures on a catastrophic fire danger day.

"The Alert SA app was a useful tool, because not only did it cover fires, but other hazards and dangers as well," he said.

"But on a day like Pinery, the internet went down pretty quickly, as did the phones, so I hope this has been improved significantly since then."

Following the Pinery fire in 2015, the Bransons instigated other measures on-farm to ensure they were better prepared for the next catastrophic event.

"We are much more prepared now than we were, all bar putting sprinklers on the roof, but that's planned for the future," Mark Branson said.

They were out harvesting their last paddock on Tuesday, where they had two fire units, while the header has fire retardant equipment installed and a blow off kit on the engine bay.

Fire breaks across the property have also expanded from one disc front to 4-5 fronts width, while on catastrophic fire days, all machinery is not left in the paddock, it is either driven to the home property or transported to a safe area.

Data from their two weather stations is also shared with local farmers on high fire danger index days.

At the home property, all water points have trigger nozzle hoses, while the family has also talked through a fire plan.

"Thirty years ago, we may have not had the scale of Pinery because farming practices were different, there was a lot less fuel loads out in the paddock," Mark said.

"But the speed of Pinery highlighted the change in landscape.

"People need to decide early if they plan to stay and defend and be prepared for that or go early as you don't want to be stuck in congestion trying to get out too late."

Mark's son Sam has also joined the CFS, which helps keep them informed.

Based on the hugely-successful Fires Near Me app in NSW, the recently-released Alert SA app combines data from the SA Country Fire Service and Metropolitan Fire Service and displays bushfire alerts, warnings and updates as well as Fire Danger Ratings and Total Fire Ban information.

South Australians can download the app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.