Australia's new rating system miscalculating fire danger, ABC investigation reveals

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Australia's new $11 million fire warning system is exaggerating the risks, alarming communities, and undermining public confidence, an ABC investigation has found. Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE
Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-28/australian-fire-warning-system-misleading-ratings-investigation/102900648

The Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) mistakenly warned Queensland's Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) earlier this month that a large swathe of southern Queensland was facing catastrophic conditions – when it was not.

QFES staff scrambled to adjust the system at midnight before the day of the so-called "catastrophic" fire category in a bid to downgrade the rating that had been applied across the Darling Downs and Granite Belt.

The incorrect classification of "catastrophic" — which calls for residents in a fire area to evacuate, and warns of a high probability of loss of life and property — stood for at least 16 hours before being downgraded.

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