Australian Fire Danger Ratings are changing

The way Fire Danger Ratings are determined and displayed across NSW is changing.

As part of a national project, led by the NSW RFS, the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) will be rolled out from 1 September 2022.

There are several key changes:

• There will be four levels of fire danger – Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic
• Clear action statements which are displayed to give the community advice about what to do at each level
• A new design for roadside signs across NSW

Behind the scenes, the science to determine the daily fire danger rating has also changed. The rollout of the new system will be supported by a public education campaign from the start of September.

Changes for councils to consider
The new AFDRS will have operational implications and change how emergency services and functional areas prepare for and respond to bush fires. Councils may have operational documents, policies or public communications such as websites that refer to the daily Fire Danger Ratings. These will require updating and the RFS has material to help with this change.

The NSW RFS is upgrading existing signage and will work with sign manager/owners on the signage updates. This may include signage contractors contacting Councils directly.

For sign related queries, please contact your local NSW RFS District Manager. For general questions, please email the project team: [email protected]. 

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