On this page you will find information about the Alert SA Mobile App. This website also provides key public safety and emergency information sources from a wide range of emergency and essential service agencies, government and community partners.
When staying informed of hazards, never rely on one source of information, as sometimes technology can fail during an emergency. Awareness of other information channels is important to help you stay informed during emergency events.
Bushfire season
Other channels to use during the bushfire season include:
The Alert SA Mobile App provides timely, relevant bushfire information to the South Australian community for the 2020-21 bushfire season.
The App has now been updated to reflect community feedback from last year. Please ensure you update your Alert SA App through your mobile device's App store.
Further information regarding Alert SA's enhancements can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below:
There are three ways to create a Watch Zone:
The pop up message 'Alert SA only provides notifications for incidents in SA' is for information only. Select either 'Don't show again' or 'OK' and continue to create your Watch Zone.
To successfully create a Watch Zone, you will be required to enter a Name.
You can select the size of your Watch Zone's radius. This means you will receive notifications for the selected distance within your Watch Zone's circle. Remember – if the Watch Zone is larger, you are likely to receive more notifications. Although a smaller Watch Zone may mean you receive less notifications, you may not be notified about Incidents that are moving quickly.
Once you've set a Watch Zone, you may receive notifications such as:
Please ensure push notifications are enabled in your phone's settings. To choose how your phone displays Alert SA notifications, select 'Settings' in your phone, followed by 'Notifications', and then tap the 'Alert SA' icon. Here, you will be able to choose how your notifications will appear on your phone.
Once your Watch Zones are created, and push notification settings are enabled, you will receive notifications for Bushfire Advice, Bushfire Watch and Act and Bushfire Emergency Warnings. Incidents which do not have these warning levels attached to them will not produce notifications.
In order to receive push notifications from Alert SA, you will need to create a Watch Zone. Please ensure push notifications are enabled in your phone's settings. To choose how your phone displays Alert SA notifications, select 'Settings' in your phone, followed by 'Notifications', and then tap the 'Alert SA' icon. Here, you will be able to choose how your notifications will appear on your phone.
Please refer to the FAQ above on how to create Watch Zones on the App.
Alert SA now allows users to receive push notifications for all types of fires within their saved Watch Zone(s), this includes grass fires, for example. The updated version of Alert SA also features colour coded warning area shapes on the map's interface.
South Australia implemented the new national warning symbology in early December 2020, in coordination with other Emergency Services agencies and jurisdictions, including VIC, ACT and NSW. The Alert SA App has been updated to reflect these changes, ensuring consistent bushfire information from the CFS.
Below is a table which provides an overview of each new icon and their meaning within an emergency context:
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Emergency Warning An Emergency Warning is the highest level of bushfire warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk. |
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Watch and Act There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family. |
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Advice A fire may pose a threat to property or public safety. Check and follow your Bushfire Survival Plan and decide what you will do if the situation changes. Look and listen for information on the TV, radio, internet, social media, mobile phones and by speaking with neighbours. |
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Incidents A fire has started. Continue to stay up to date in case the situation changes. |
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Incidents Additional information related to an incident beyond that contained in a structured advice or warning message. An example might be in a protracted fire event where recovery centre of evacuation centre information is required. |
For more information about these warnings, visit the CFS website.
The recent updates on the Alert SA App allow users to receive timely and informative updates relating to all fire incidents in your Watch Zone(s), resulting in a simplified user experience when receiving bushfire information. All warnings displayed and push notifications sent from the Alert SA App are directly from the CFS and MFS.
Users will need to ensure they update the version of the App they currently have installed on their smart phones. When opening Alert SA, the App will automatically prompt users to update it. Users can also manually update their App via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store following the relevant prompts.
The Alert SA App is available for iPhone and Samsung devices. It is also supported on iPads and iPod touches.
Please note, while users are able to download Alert SA onto Android AOS 4.X (and lower) devices, the App is unsupported and will not function correctly, displaying a 'No Network connection' error.
If you have an older device, or a device other an iOS or Android, you can still access bushfire information through the SA Country Fire Service (CFS) and SA Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) websites and set them as bookmarks or icons on your device.
You can create up to 10 Watch Zones on Alert SA.
No, you will need to recreate Watch Zones on separate devices.
If you wish to turn off your Alert SA notifications, select 'Settings' in your phone, followed by 'Notifications', and then tap the 'Alert SA' icon. You can toggle your notifications for this App on and off. If you do turn off your notifications for Alert SA, you will not receive any messages including emergency notifications or Emergency Warnings.
If you are receiving too many notifications, you may wish to consider reducing the number of Watch Zones or the size of your Watch Zones. Remember – if you have a large Watch Zone, you are likely to receive more notifications. Having a smaller Watch Zone may mean you receive less notifications, however, you may not be notified about Incidents that are moving quickly.
Alert SA will not display any Incidents on the Map or in the List View if there are no active bushfires within South Australia. You may also wish to check your internet connection. The Alert SA App requires an internet connection to display information.
If there is a Total Fire Ban in your Watch Zone, Alert SA will send you a notification on the evening prior to and morning of the Total Fire Ban.
You can find the Fire Danger Rating for your area of interest through the menu.
The Alert SA App is available only on iOS and Android devices. As technology and features change, your device may become out of date depending on its age. If you have an out of date device, or a device other an iOS or Android, you can still access bushfire information through the SA Country Fire Service (CFS) and SA Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) websites and set them as bookmarks or icons on your device.
The Alert SA App shows the last time information was refreshed at the bottom of the screen. Each Warning and Incident also has a timestamp showing the last time the information was updated. Incidents at Emergency Warning level are updated frequently. Watch and Act messages are updated several times throughout the day, or as the situation changes.
Some Incidents, such as those with Advice messages, or fires which have been burning for some time but not causing any threat, may be updated less frequently. Alert SA provides users information as frequently as possible, based on the information being provided by the relevant agency attending the Incident(s).
The Alert SA App does not provide information regarding road closures. To access this data, please visit: https://traffic.sa.gov.au/. Alert SA will look to include further enhancements to the App during 2020. To access other emergency information sources, please refer to the links in the portal below.
No, Alert SA only provides bushfire information in South Australia. For warnings in other states, please access their relevant channels.
When staying informed of hazards, it is important to never rely on one source of information as technology may fail during an emergency. Awareness of other information channels is important to help you stay informed during emergency events.
Bushfire season
Other channels to use during the bushfire season include:
Heatwaves and storms
Other channels to use for information on heatwaves and storms include:
For all other emergency events, such as disease outbreaks, please refer to the relevant agency websites and social media accounts featured in the portal below and listen to your local radio.
To provide feedback about the Alert SA App, please email AlertSA@sa.gov.au. Your feedback will be provided to the Alert SA Project Team, and will be kept confidential. If you are in an emergency situation, please call Triple Zero (000).
If you are experiencing issues with the Alert SA App, please use the following checklist to resolve your issue in the first instance:
The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) is the primary provider of bushfire firefighting services across the state.
Bushfire Hotline: 1800 362 361The SA State Emergency Service (SES) is the primary provider of flood rescue services across the state.
SES assistance: 132 500The SA State Emergency Service (SES) coordinates the state's response to extreme weather events.
SES assistance: 132 500SA Health is the primary agency in South Australia responsible for responding to severe infectious disease outbreaks, such as a flu pandemic or food poisoning.
Health Direct: 1800 022 222Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) manages the risks posed by animal and plant pests and diseases in South Australia.
The South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) is the primary provider of structural firefighting services to the State of South Australia.
The South Australia Police are the Control Agency for Terrorism in South Australia.
Police Assistance: 131 444Services essential to the community can be impacted at any time. These include:
Services essential to the community can be impacted at any time. These include:
For all further hazard information please visit:
www.sa.gov.au/topics/emergencies-and-safety