Shoppers at Penola were informed face-to-face about the new nationally consistent rating system for bushfire danger.

The Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) Program aims to improve public safety and reduce the impacts of bushfires by using the latest research on fire behaviour to provide clearer advice to the community.

Three uniformed members from the CFS Community Engagement branch set up a promotional stall outside the Penola IGA store.

Natasha Huber, Tori Ghezzi and Jacqui Williams explained to passers-by how the new AFDRS has four rating levels, replacing the previous five to represent the potential consequences of a fire.

The AFDRS marks a generational change in the way fire danger is now calculated and communicated.

It takes advantage of the many decades of research about how fire behaves, incorporating a wider range of fire behaviour models system to better represent the variety of Australian vegetation and fuel types.

Under the changes, calculations are now based on up-to-date fuel state data, spatial and satellite data and weather data.