Bushfire resilience app to be rolled out nationally

A Bushfire Resilience Star Rating App will be rolled out nationally next year following a recent pilot with the Shoalhaven community, which was severely affected by the Black Summer bushfires.

The app uses new disaster risk information and building vulnerability details from the homeowner, along with science-based algorithms that calculate the homes resilience. The app provides a list of tailored actions to adapt the home and improve its rating.

“This really is a world first where people will be able to receive customised recommendations that measurably improve their resilience,” Bushfire Building Council of Australia Founder and CEO Kate Cotter says.

“This app could be applied and used world-wide in any country in any region, and that will be the next stage of this project, sharing the science with the world.”

The Federal Government provided the Bushfire Building Council of Australia with $3 million in funding to develop the star rating app and it’s expected to be available for use nationally by next March, a National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

The bushfire building council is an independent not-for-profit organisation that aims to translate research into tangible action to reduce risks for householders and the wider community.