A NEW and simplified national fire danger rating system will be rolled out from September.
There will be four levels of fire danger under the new system - Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic - which indicates the potential level of danger if a bushfire were to start.
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Each level of fire danger will be accompanied by clear messages and actions communities can take to reduce their risk.
The new system, which replaces the previously used six levels of fire danger, is a result of the Australian Fire Danger Rating System Program which has core aims of improving the scientific accuracy behind fire danger predictions, improving the way fire danger is communicated, providing government and industry with better decision-making tools and reducing the costs associated with bushfire impacts.
The system will be across the country, with fire services in all states expected to update signage and provide fire danger ratings online.
A social research report conducted by the AFDRS found that few community members had understood the purpose of fire danger ratings and many believed the previous six-level system was too complex, causing confusion as to what action was required at each danger level.
The rating system is not a predictor of how likely a bushfire is to occur, but rather how dangerous a bushfire would be given the day's conditions.
