Stay informed

Fires can threaten suddenly and without warning.

You need to be prepared to enact your Bushfire Survival Plan without receiving any emergency warning.

You can:

• know what the bushfire dangers are for your area
• know the daily Fire Danger Rating for your area
• watch for signs of fire, especially smoke and flames
• know what you need to do
• act decisively the moment you know there is danger
• put your Bushfire Survival Plan into action (avoid a "wait and see" response)

Find information on:

• CFS website www.cfs.sa.gov.au
• Bushfire Information Hotline 1800 362 361
• on Facebook, like SA Country Fire Service and CFSUpdates
• on Twitter follow @cfstalk and @cfsalerts
• local ABC radio, FIVEaa, or one of our other Emergency Broadcast Partners

Do not rely on a single source for emergency warning information.

Bushfire Information Hotline

We provide information to the community through the Bushfire Information Hotline, 1800 362 361 (TTY 133 677), including:

• Fire Danger Ratings
• Fire Restrictions
• Fire Bans
• Fire Regulation Information
• Incident Information
• Information relating to Bushfire Survival during bushfires.

Listen to a recorded message about Fire Restrictions or Incidents, or speak to an operator for more information.

We provide incident information as it becomes available from the fire ground.

CFS State Operations Support Brigade volunteers and SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM) respond on the Bushfire Information Hotline when it is operating at CFS Headquarters.

Subscribe to CFS emails

To increase access to SA Country Fire Service bushfire warnings and other important information, we maintain an email subscription service.

We use emails to provide information on bushfires and other incidents CFS are attending, as well as other useful CFS information and diary dates.

Subscribe

If you're interested in this information email listserv@cfslist.sa.gov.au to subscribe with the subject "SUBSCRIBE CFS-SUBSCRIBERS ANONYMOUS" and message "SUBSCRIBE CFS-SUBSCRIBERS ANONYMOUS".

Members of the media can subscribe to the Media Mailing List (this is a service exclusively for media personnel and not available to members of the public).

Watch and Act and Emergency Warnings

Emergency Services are committed to providing timely and accurate information to the community during emergencies, including bushfires.

We issue warnings when a fire has started and you need to take action.

Make sure you understand what the three levels of warnings are and what they mean.

Emergency warning

Issued when a bushfire is burning out of control under very high to catastrophic weather conditions. It indicates:

• you are in danger and you need to take action immediately
• you will be impacted by fire
• the Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) will precede this message.

Watch and Act

Issued when there is a potential threat to public safety in the immediate area of a bushfire to tell you:

• a fire is approaching you
• conditions are changing
• you need to take action now to protect your life and your family.

Advice

This is general information to keep you up to date with developments. It advises you:

• a fire has started
• there is no immediate danger.

We will issue Watch and Act and Emergency Warning Messages through a number of communication channels including local ABC AM and FIVEaa radio stations.

These messages will include:

• the location of the fire
• where it is expected to move next
• the risks to people in the area
• what you are advised to do about those risks
• where you can find additional information.

Radio updates

You can listen to one of our Emergency Broadcast Partners for emergency warnings and alerts:

• ABC is the official Emergency Broadcaster - local ABC radio stations broadcast the emergency warnings and alerts relevant to their area
• FIVEaa Radio
• Sky News Television
• Commercial Radio Australia

Download the full list of our Emergency Broadcast Partners.

We recommend you keep a battery powered or wind-up torch and radio ready in case the power fails during an emergency. Test the batteries regularly.

Emergency broadcast partners

* Frequency information accurate as at September 2020. Broadcast areas are indicative only and reception depends on weather and local geographical conditions.

Social Media

The CFS has a great social media presence informing you of current incidents, and spreading important community safety updates, warnings and news.

Alert SA

The Alert SA Mobile App provides timely, relevant bushfire information to the South Australian community for the bushfire season. To download Alert SA, or learn more about the App, visit www.alert.sa.gov.au

Emergency Alert

Emergency Alert is the national telephone warning system used by emergency management agencies.

Emergency services may send you an emergency warning message about fire, flood or extreme weather events to your landline or mobile.

The Emergency Alert service is available across all telephone networks.

You do not need to register for Emergency Alert.

Learn more about this system at emergencyalert.gov.au.

More

• Communications in emergencies and natural disasters
• Telecommunications and natural disasters - Six things you should know

NBN in Emergency Events

Your home phone, computer or mobile device connected to the NBN will not work if there is a power failure during an emergency.

You may not be able to call 000 to access emergency services from your home phone or connected devices.

You may not receive an emergency alert warning message.

In planning for emergencies, consider taking the following actions:

• as part of your emergency plan, think about what you will do and what your options may be to get help if you need it
• make sure your mobile phone is fully charged, and have a charged power pack as a back up
• connecting with your neighbours before, during and after an event is important; you may need to rely on each other for help
• consider a number of alternate options to keep informed during emergencies, such as listening to local ABC Radio
• include a battery powered radio in your emergency kit
• purchase basic supplies and fuel your car as banking and electronic purchasing services may not be available during emergencies.

More

• Prepare for an emergency
• Services that will be switched off when NBN comes to your area