First it was the accessibility and the colour scheme used in certain maps<\/a>, and then the cost of the website was brought into question<\/a>.<\/p>\n Volunteer firefighters in Victoria have warned that numerical fire danger ratings have not been transferred from the old site, a gap some fire chiefs fear could put lives at risk.<\/p>\n Tracey Webber says residents and firefighters alike rely on detailed fire danger information. (Supplied: Tracey Webber)<\/p>\n “I’ve also had a lot of calls from concerned residents in regards to [the new website] not having the fire index numbers,” Glen Park CFA brigade captain Tracey Webber said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “People have noticed that that information is missing \u2014 not just me as a volunteer firefighter.”<\/p>\n The new website does give each region a rating using shades ranging from white (no rating) through to red (catastrophic).<\/p>\n What’s missing?<\/p>\n During a Victorian fire season the BOM gives each of the state’s 10 regions ratings out of five to indicate how dangerous a fire could be.<\/p>\n They run from “no rating” to moderate, high, extreme and catastrophic.<\/p>\n The old website design included numerical ratings for each region. (Bureau of Meteorology)<\/p>\n The old iteration of the BOM website also provided a daily numerical value, allowing residents and firefighters to know exactly where on the scale the forecast fell.<\/p>\n That information can no longer be seen on the new website.<\/p>\n This is how a region’s fire danger rating is illustrated on the redesigned page. (Bureau of Meteorology)<\/p>\n “I think that level of detail [is something] people look for, particularly those that listen to the fire services about developing a plan for their own property and their family if something goes desperately wrong,” dairy farmer and south-west CFA group officer Mark Billing said.<\/p>\n “There’s a big gap between the ratings, so having the numbers sort of gives you the relative danger or the relative fire behaviour within that fire danger rating.”<\/p>\n The ABC understands work is underway to migrate that information across to the new website and that in the meantime the information can be found on the old website.<\/p>\n The BOM was unable to give an exact time frame on when the information would be available on the new site.<\/p>\n “That one is going to be changed,” BOM general manager of environmental prediction services Matt Collopy said.<\/p>\n “We are looking and working with the emergency management authorities, the fire authorities like CFA, to actually update that not just for Victoria, but for the country.”<\/p>\n A BOM spokesperson said the information was available on its legacy website and could now be accessed via links that have been added to its online fire weather knowledge centre.<\/p>\n “The bureau is aware the fire behaviour index (FBI) is not displaying on the fire danger rating table on the new website,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The spokesperson said the website would be updated to make the information more accessible in a future release.<\/p>\n “The bureau is working to add these links to the new website search menu function and through Google search,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n “The FBI will be added to the new website in a future release.”<\/p>\n The Glen Park brigade at Pootilla, near Ballarat, is made up of more than 20 volunteers. (Supplied: Tracey Webber)<\/p>\n Fire season looms<\/p>\n Ms Webber will continue to keep a close eye on the new BOM website.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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