The Federal Government has helped fund a new app that helps Australians prepare their homes from the threat of bushfires, which launches today.

The free Bushfire Resilience Rating app allows Australians to measure their bushfire resilience through a star-rating system, and can receive a customised action plan to help reduce their exposure to potential bushfires. 

Users are given tasks to tick off that are based on the Bushfire House Loss Probability Model, as well as bushfire information and data on historical house loss. The Federal Government said it’s the first app that uses a scientific model to calculate bushfire building performance.

More than 1200 households across NSW, Victoria and Queensland helped trial the app, including homes in the Shoalhaven. Trial participants saw an average reduction of 67 per cent in the likelihood of their homes being damaged in a bushfire. The app was specifically developed in response to recommendations made by the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.

Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips said she was pleased that residents of the Shoalhaven were given the opportunity to pilot the app. 

“795 homes in the Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla were lost in the 2019-2020 bushfires. That’s left a massive toll on people both financially and mentally,” said Fiona

 “This left many people just wanting to know what they can do to better protect their home from bushfires. I’m really pleased that this bushfire resilience app was piloted in the Shoalhaven, by people with real lived experiences of bushfires.”

RBC plans to launch the next phase of the app by mid-2024, which will provide expert on-site assessments for integrated ratings for a range of natural disasters.