The Fire Danger Index (FDI) is a rating system that indicates the fire risk for a specific area on a specific day. If the expected environmental factors are known for the coming period, the FDI can be forecast and calculated for the occurring conditions.
Camp cooking, prescribed burning, and machinery operations can sometimes be misleading. These activities are not always foolproof.
The environmental factors used to calculate the FDI are temperature readings taken in degree Celsius (°C), in addition to humidity, wind speed, and previous rain records. Expected rainfall is not always taken into consideration, even if there is certainty it is going occur. This, however, is countered by the expected relative humidity.
All these factors are allocated values, and the total is allocated to a colour coded group:
Blue: 0 – 20 X safe. Cold and wet);
Green: 21 – 45 X moderate. Low fire risk. Care to be taken for burning operations;
Yellow: 46 – 60 X dangerous. Caution advised;
Orange: 61 – 75 X very dangerous. Teams kept on standby. No open flames; and
Red: 81 – 100 X extreme danger.
For the Free State, the FDI states that the province is in yellow, indicating danger therefore advising caution by the Free State Fire Danger Protection Umbrella Association.
