Emergency warnings and information

Australian Warning System

The way we display incidents has changed.

As of 15 July 2024, a new national approach to emergency information has been rolled out in Western Australia. The Australian Warning System (AWS) aims to deliver consistent warnings, so no matter where you are in Australia, the emergency warning levels, colours and symbols are the same.

What are the warning levels?

There are three warning levels:

Advice (Yellow): An incident has started. There is no immediate danger. Stay up to date in case the situation changes.

Watch and Act (Orange): There is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.

Emergency Warning (Red): An Emergency Warning is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Any delay now puts your life at risk.

Each warning level has a set of action statements to give the community clear and concise information about what to do. Below are some action statements you might see with a warning.

Warning level action statements

Advice (Yellow)

An incident is active but there is no immediate threat to lives or homes. Be aware and keep up to date.
Prepare now
Stay informed
Monitor conditions
Stay informed/threat is reduced
Avoid the area
Return with caution
Avoid smoke

Watch and Act (Orange)

There is a possible threat to lives or homes. Take action now to protect yourself and others.
Prepare to leave/evacuate
Leave/evacuate now (if you are not prepared)
Prepare to take shelter
Move/stay indoors
Stay near shelter
Walk two or more streets back
Monitor conditions as they are changing
Be aware of ember attacks
Move to higher ground (away from creeks/rivers/coast)
Limit time outside (cyclone, heat asthma)
Avoid the area
Stay away from damaged buildings and other hazards
Prepare for isolation
Protect yourself against the impacts of extreme heat
Do not enter flood water
Not safe to return
Prepare your property (cyclone/storm)

Emergency Warning (Red)

There is a threat to lives and homes. You may be in danger and need to take immediate action.
Leave/evacuate (immediately, by am/pm/hazard timing)
Take shelter now
Shelter indoors now
Too late to leave
Leave/evacuate (immediately, by am/pm/hazard timing)
Take shelter now
Shelter indoors now

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Emergency WA

Find out how to access information on the Emergency WA website.

Where to find information in an emergency

Visit Emergency WAopens in a new window for current emergency information and updates.
During an emergency, you may receive a text or voice message from the emergency services to your telephone. Visit Emergency Alertopens in a new window to find out more.
Follow the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on Facebookopens in a new window opens in a new windowor Twitteropens in a new window.
You can sign up to receive an RSS feed which provides free updates to you when warnings are issued. To set up an RSS feed on your device, visit Emergency WA opens in a new windowand select the correct link for your region under RSS and CAP AU feeds menu item.
Listen to ABC local radio and visit the ABC Emergency websiteopens in a new window.
Tune in to 720 AM radio in your local area.
Stay in touch with neighbours, family and friends.
Remain alert and aware of your surroundings.

Who to call in an emergency

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Service	Phone number
Fire/Police/Ambulance (life threatening emergencies)	000
Western Power (fallen power lines)	13 13 51
Water Corporation (faults and Emergencies)	13 13 75
Gas leaks and emergency services	1800 427 532
State Emergency Service (SES for storm and flood damage)	132 500
Police (non-urgent assistance)	131 444
Main Roads WA	13 81 38
Shark sightings	9442 8600

SES on horseback

Local emergency volunteer groups

The City has a number of emergency services provided by members of our community, for our community. The contribution of these volunteers is invaluable. Their operations cover our coastal waters, rural, bushland and urban areas.

Emergency warnings and information

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