Twitter is among new initiatives to be used to alert Australian residents to bushfires.

The Australian Government has announced plans to use social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook, alongside traditional warning mechanisms in order to improve the “quality and timeliness of bushfire warnings” ahead of the upcoming fire season.

Australian Premier for the State of Victoria, John Brumby, announced several key changes to improve safety as an investigation continues into the bushfires that devastated the state of State and claimed 173 lives in February this year. 

In a statement released by the government, Mr Brumby said: “This catastrophic event was unprecedented and our government is doing everything possible to help fire affected communities recover and rebuild as soon as possible.”

The existing message to homeowners of ‘prepare, stay and defend or leave early’ has been revised, with the emphasis now on saving lives by encouraging people to leave as early as possible and hence the need for increased communication, especially to outlying homes.

Alongside this, a number of initiatives have been identified with the aim of providing more timely and accurate information to warn of impending bushfires including continuing with the implementation of a national emergency warning system (EWS) to deliver warnings to all fixed and mobile telephones; negotiate with commercial broadcasters who wish to act as emergency broadcasters to extend the reach of warnings beyond the audience of ABC radio (the current lead); and establish a single ‘behind the scenes’ website with same-time uploads to the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) websites.

An innovative proposal to examine the use of social networking websites Twitter and Facebook has also been put forward by the Premier in order to alert the community to the ‘official’ sources of information. Australia ranks in the top 10 countries with the highest number of Facebook and Twitter users.

Mr Brumby continued: “Our government is taking immediate and practical action to prepare the State for the future bushfire seasons and ensure the safety of Victorian families.”