Volunteer firefighters in Victoria are raising concerns about missing safety information on the Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) newly launched website. The updated site, described as "modern and sleek," has faced criticism since its debut last month. Issues have included accessibility, color schemes on maps, and the overall cost of the redesign.

One significant concern is that the numerical fire danger ratings from the previous website have not been transferred to the new platform. Fire chiefs worry that this omission could jeopardize public safety. Glen Park CFA brigade captain Tracey Webber noted, "I've also had a lot of calls from concerned residents in regards to [the new website] not having the fire index numbers. People have noticed that that information is missing — not just me as a volunteer firefighter."

The BOM's new website assigns a color-coded rating for each region, ranging from white (no rating) to red (catastrophic). However, during the fire season, the BOM typically provides a numerical rating for each of Victoria's ten regions, indicating the potential danger level. This scale includes ratings from "no rating" to moderate, high, extreme, and catastrophic. The previous website allowed users to see a daily numerical value, which is no longer available.

Mark Billing, a dairy farmer and south-west CFA group officer, emphasized the importance of this detailed information. He stated, "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. There's a big gap between the ratings, so having the numbers sort of gives you the relative danger or the relative fire behavior within that fire danger rating."

The BOM has acknowledged the issue and is working to migrate the missing information to the new website. In the meantime, users can still access the data on the old site. BOM general manager of environmental prediction services, Matt Collopy, stated, "That one is going to be changed. 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."

As the fire season approaches, Ms. Webber remains vigilant about the new BOM website. She expressed her frustration, saying, "As a volunteer firefighter and as a farmer in the area, I used the BOM website on a daily basis. I am finding it very frustrating to find any of the information that was so easily and readily available before."

Mr. Billing stressed the urgency of resolving the issue, especially with the fire season looming. "The season is virtually upon us and we'll only need a couple of dry weeks with a bit of north-westerly wind and the landscape will change quite rapidly," he said. Mr. Collopy assured that the matter would be addressed promptly.