What the four ratings mean
These are the national AFDRS levels and the official public action for each. They tell you what the day means for anyone in a bushfire risk area — they are not machinery operating instructions. The operating call on a job is yours, informed by the rating.
Live readings
Machinery ignition watch
—
This is GCE's own working index, not an official rating. The AFDRS rating above tells
you what the day means for people in a bushfire risk area; it does not tell a dozer operator
whether to grind. This panel is the operating overlay — calculated on this page from the
live readings, and floored so it can never read softer than the official rating implies.
The rating, your permit conditions and the crew on the ground govern. This is a prompt to
think, not an authority.
How this number is calculated
Dry lightning watch
—
No live strike data is wired. Australian lightning-strike feeds are commercial
(Vaisala, Weatherzone) or community-run (Blitzortung). This panel infers a watch from the
BOM forecast wording plus humidity and rainfall — it will not tell you a strike has
landed. If you need real strike detection, that is a paid feed and a decision to make.