It's important you stay up to date before, during and after bush fires and other emergencies. To help, the NSW RFS provides information and warnings through a range of channels.

Help with our applications

What’s new?

The Fires Near Me NSW application has been updated with additional features.

You can now set up a ‘watch zone’ to be notified about incidents in an area.

We’ve also made a number of other improvements to the application, based on feedback from users.

What is a greyed out area on the map?

The areas that are grey indicate the burnt area of a fire.

How do I set a ‘Watch Zone”

There are three ways to set a watch zone.

Hold down on the map – select your location and tap ‘Add Watch Zone’.

In the menu – select ‘My Watch Zones’ and select ‘Add a new Watch Zone’.

Search from the map – tap the search button at the top of the screen, enter an address and select ‘Add Watch Zone’.

You can also select a radius to keep watch on. This means you’ll receive notifications for that distance from the location you drop the pin.

Remember – if the watch zone is larger, you’re likely to receive more notifications. A smaller watch zone may mean you receive less notifications but you may not be notified about incidents that are moving quickly.

What sort of notifications will I receive?

Once you’ve set a watch zone, you may receive notifications such as:

A new fire in your watch zone

A fire spreading into your watch zone

A fire’s alert level increasing, indicating an increased danger

When there is new information about a major fire which may be important to your safety

Other notifications, such as important messages about fire danger or activity

How many ‘Watch Zones’ can I have?

You can set up to ten watch zones.

Once I’ve set up a watch zone, can I share it to my other device?

At this stage, you’re unable to share your watch zones to other devices. This is a feature we’re considering for the future.

For now, you will need to recreate a watch zone on other devices.

Do I have to delete my current app to install the new one?

No. Simply update your application in the App Store or Google Play store.

Can I turn off notifications?

Yes. However if you turn off notifications, you will not receive any messages including emergency notifications or Emergency Warnings.

I’m receiving too many notifications. What should I do?

Notifications are sent to users based on a number of conditions, such as when a new incident is reported, when it moves into a watch zone, or when there’s a change to the information in our system.

This means some users may receive notifications several times.

If you’re receiving too many notifications, please don’t turn off notifications. You might want to consider having a smaller watch zone to reduce the area you’re keeping watch on.

What do the different coloured diamonds mean?

The different colours refer to the different Alert Levels. Alert Levels give you an indication of how serious a fire is, and what you should do.

Red - Emergency Warning - An Emergency Warning is the highest level of Bush Fire Alert. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.

Yellow - Watch And Act - There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.

Blue - Advice - A fire has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.

What does a white diamond on the map mean?

A white diamond is typically for an incident where crews are on their way, or an incident that has been automatically generated by people calling Triple Zero.

Why am I receiving notifications for incidents outside my area?

From time to time, we may send a notification to all users of the app, for incidents or conditions which are affecting a large number of people. We do this to alert as many people as possible and as quickly as possible.

Will it give me info from other states?

No. For information on fires in states other than NSW or the ACT, please check the relevant agency in that area.

I live in the ACT. Will I be told about fires in my area?

Yes. The app shows incidents from the ACT Emergency Services Agency. You can set a watch zone for the ACT. Depending on the distance you set, you may also receive information about fires in NSW.

Will I receive information on total fire bans?

The application will send you a notification each morning if there’s a total fire in one of your watch zones.

How do I find the fire danger rating for my area?

You can find the fire danger rating for your area through the menu of the application.

I can’t download the application to my device. What can I do?

The application is available only on iOS and Android devices.

As technology and features change, your device may become out of date depending on its age.

If you have an out of date device, or a device other an iOS or Android, you can still access fire information through our Fires Near Me page and setting it as a bookmark or icon on your device, giving you many of the features of the application.

A fire hasn’t been updated for some time. Is there a problem?

The application shows the last time information was refreshed at the bottom of the screen.

Each incident also has a timestamp showing the last time the information was updated.

Incidents at Emergency Warning level are updated frequently. Incidents at Watch and Act are updated several times throughout the day, or as the situation changes.

Some incidents, such as those at Advice or which have been burning for some time but not causing any threat, may be updated less frequently.

We aim to provide information as frequently as possible, based on the information being provided by firefighting attending the incident.

Will it have road closure information?

No. For road information check www.livetraffic.com

I’m not seeing any incidents displayed. Is there a problem?

If you’re not seeing any incidents, check your internet connection. The app needs an internet connection to get data.

If you’re still not seeing incidents, check that you have the correct version of the application.

We've recently updated the app, so it's important to check that you have the right app installed.

Firstly, delete the app from your device.

Then, download the correct version from here.

IOS - http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/fires-near-me-nsw/id370891827?mt=8

Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.nsw.rfs.firesnearme.nsw

Other applications

We support a number of other smartphone applications which can be helpful during bush fires and other emergency incidents.

Emergency+ Smartphone App

A smartphone application to help you identify your location when calling Triple Zero for assistance during an emergency.

I’m having an issue or have a suggestion. Who can I contact?

Fill in the form below.