STARTING on September 1, a new Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) program will be introduced for greater national consistency and to improve how fire danger is communicated to the public.

Ratings are used in many parts of the world and are especially important in the Australian context due to the prevalence of flammable vegetation and hot and dry conditions, and the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services said the move to a simpler system is backed by improvements in science, which will mean authorities can better predict areas of greater risk on days of fire danger.