National Fire Danger Rating System

• Over Victoria’s long weekend, campers and residents in Gippsland had to flee fast-moving fires, driven by high winds.
• “Australia is much better prepared for this season than we were heading into Black Summer,” he said, speaking after a national summit on disaster preparedness.
• Far too often, Australians think it’s the job of the authorities to be ready, which breeds a false sense of security.

This fire season may pack a punch

• Around 20% of all of our forests went up in flame.
• But 2023 may break that record, as climate records topple around the world and extreme weather events multiply.
• This year is likely to be the hottest on record globally, and next year the record may well fall again.

Climate cycles do give us time to prepare

• Australia’s wet-dry climate cycles have one benefit – during wet years, fire authorities get a reprieve.
• That lets governments, emergency services and the community coordinate, plan and prepare for bushfire seasons ahead.
• That’s why Minister Watt can accurately claim Australia is better prepared.
• The capacity and capability of our emergency services to predict the spread of fires and issue timely warnings to communities is better than it has ever been.

For Australia to be ready, you need to be ready

• If you’re faced with a bushfire threat, you have only two options.
• Every community has a different risk profile and people and communities vary considerably in their levels of preparedness and planning.
• To be clear, this is arguably the largest gap in Australia’s fire preparedness.

Planning is easy – if done ahead

The question of whether Australia is ready for the fire season should be reframed. The better question is: are Australians ready? The good news is, it’s easier than you think to make a fire plan. As a household, it might take just 10 minutes. Your state or territory government has a website showing you how:
• Read more:
  Australia's Black Summer of fire was not normal – and we can prove it

  John Schauble contributed significantly to this article.

• He has worked extensively in bushfire policy and research at state level and has volunteered for over 40 years as a firefighter.

• BANFF NATIONAL PARK, AB, July 6, 2023 /CNW/ - Climate change is causing wildfires to become more frequent and more severe across Canada, threatening our health, economies, and wildlife.
• The National Fire Equipment Cache will enhance wildfire preparedness in national parks and surrounding areas and will increase Parks Canada's overall capacity to respond to wildfires.
• Since 2021, the Government of Canada has invested over $65 million in the National Wildfire Management Program at Parks Canada.
• In 2023, Parks Canada has provided over 50 personnel and specialized equipment to wildfire suppression efforts in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Quebec.