In December 2019, Australia made headlines across the globe for the catastrophic bushfires that ravaged the country during the ‘Black Summer’.
Only weeks after the flames charred vast swathes of land, some of the same communities affected by the fires were underwater, as intense rainfall and storms caused river networks to overflow.
Rob Webb is the CEO of the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services in Australia and New Zealand (AFAC). He says the more than 30 state and territory emergency support services in the country have worked together to find a coordinated approach to best communicate, prepare, and respond to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters.
“Australia is a wonderful place to live and a wonderful place to be throughout the year, but we do have these periods of disasters of all different kinds. As our climate is changing, we’re seeing more and more compounding disasters, where 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”.
The Fire Danger Ratings and the Emergency Warnings systems are similar, but they are used for the various stages of an emergency and different hazards.
Fiona Dunstan, National Community Engagement Manager for the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), explains the differences.
The nationwide Australian Warning System was introduced in December 2020 and is divided into three colour-coded categories.
The newly revised Fire Danger Ratings System was rolled out in September 2022 and has four similar colour-coded categories.
Once a bushfire or other hazard is occurring, the 3-level Australian Warning Systems will kick in.
The first level is ‘Advice’, which is yellow, and means the hazard has started, but there is no immediate danger.
The second level is orange and is called ‘Watch and Act’. This means conditions are changing and you should take action to protect yourself.
The third level is the red ‘Emergency warning’ which means you are in danger and delaying action puts your life at risk.
Ms Dunstan says how you should react to each warning also depends on the type of emergency.
