South Australians are being urged to be bushfire ready this summer as the SA Country Fire Service (CFS) strengthens its bushfire planning, mitigation and frontline firefighting capability.

The state government has provided an additional $955,000 to boost CFS capability this summer, including for new water storage tanks and improved fire refuges.

The funding is in response to its Taskforce Fireguard which assessed the fire danger outlook for the 2025-26 Fire Danger Season. Measures include:

• Five temporary water tanks have been placed in the high-risk areas of Mylor, Salt Creek, Tothill, Cummins, and Lucindale.
• Additional contracted heavy machinery such as bulldozers or graders which will be put on standby during high-risk days this summer to be readily available for dry firefighting.
• Progression of Bushfire Safer Places Project, which assesses the suitability of Bushfire Safer Places and Bushfire Last Resort Refuges across the state.

The CFS is also poised to upgrade its bushfire mitigation and planning with the rollout of the next generation of Bushfire Management Area Plans (BMAPs).

The BMAP 2.0 project will deliver modern, robust, and scientifically informed systems to guide bushfire risk reduction across South Australia.

The project is jointly funded through $1.8 million from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Disaster Ready Fund and an additional $2.7 million over four years from the state government.

Householders are also being urged to download the Alert SA app this Summer. The app provides real time notifications from the CFS, the Metropolitan Fire Service and the State Emergency Service about bushfires and other emergencies.

Premier Peter Malinauskas says South Australians are well aware of the dangers faced by bushfires over the summer months, but cannot afford to be complacent.

“While we must do all that is possible to reduce the risk of bushfires, we should always be prepared for the worst.

“By downloading the Alert SA app, you can get live notifications of incidents and other information that could save your life in the event of a bushfire or other emergency.

CFS Chief Officer Brett Loughlin says preparing for the serious risk of bushfires is a shared responsibility and he urges all South Australians to do their part to stay safe this Fire Danger Season. 

“These exciting initiatives are part of the CFS ongoing commitment to continual improvement and ensuring that SA is prepared for future challenges.

Ensure you’ve created or reviewed your Bushfire Survival Plan, prepared your property, and subscribed to warnings via the CFS website or Alert SA app.”