The Mid Coast and Port Macquarie-Hastings Rural Fire Service will be adopting a new fire rating system as bushfire season begins today (September 1).
The new Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) provides a simplified way of describing the level of danger in the event of a bushfire and provides a rating system that is utilized nation wide.
The previous rating system had been used for over 50 years and had six categories whereas the AFDRS only has four.
Inspector Guy Duckworth Acting District Manager for Mid Coast Rural Fire Service said the big difference with the AFDRS and the old system is that it's now very easy to interpret.
"I think there's been a little bit of confusion everywhere with the old ratings," he said.
"It became very apparent during the 2019-20 fire season with people travelling all over the country and not understanding the different ratings in each state.
From public consultation came a clear message that the previous systems and messaging were difficult to interpret."
As bushfire season begins in the area, Mr Duckworth said that the public should prepare their property, remove all combustibles around their property, clean their gutter and just generally be aware
"They should also have bushfire survival plan and if they haven't got one of those, they need to go to the RFS website," he said.
"They can easily download a document that they can fill in to prepare."
Fire Danger Categories
The AFDRS has been designed using the latest scientific understanding about weather, fuel and how fire behaves to improve the reliability of fire danger forecasts.
The new categories are:
- Moderate
Plan and prepare
- High
Be ready to act
- Extreme
Take action now to protect life and property
- Catastrophic
For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas
Emily Walker
Reporter at Macleay Argus and Port Macquarie News.
Reporter at Macleay Argus and Port Macquarie News.
