ServiceWA app: Emergency WA’s bushfire warning notifications

Tap on Emergency WA in the Services section of the app to find the information and services, and terms of use. You will need to accept this if you are happy to continue.

You will also need to enable your Location services, Motion & Fitness and Background App Refresh settings to start receiving the warning notifications to your device. It’s best to select ‘always allow’ to keep the bushfire warning notifications accurate based on your current location.

Watch the How-to video at the top of this page for further help in setting up your bushfire warning notifications.

Yes, you will need to enable this so you can receive the most up to date notifications based on your current location.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services will continue the Telephone Warning System separate to the ServiceWA notifications.

Please remember the telephone warnings are generally only given where life and property are under imminent threat. You should never wait for a telephone warning before acting during an emergency.

Emergency WA is the State’s official website for emergency information and the ServiceWA App receives the warnings and boundaries from Emergency WA.All public information and warnings will also continue to be communicated through your local ABC radio and Emergency WA.

You will get notifications including a warning level, location, and a link to Emergency WA with the most up to date safety information.

You can also find this message in your ServiceWA inbox as pictured below.

You will get a notification if you are in a warning area and if:

• You are entering the warning area.
• There is a change to the warning area boundary or to the warning level.

Remember to always check Emergency WA for the latest information.

No, you will only receive the most recent notifications relevant to where you are.

Your ServiceWA inbox will also have the full history of warning messages sent to you.

Receiving both a notification and inbox message will help you find the message history if you ever need to check again.

The motion sensor on your device helps to reduce the drain on your battery, which can happen if you only have location services enabled.

Data such as your heart rate is never recorded or stored.

You must enable both location services and physical activity to receive notifications.

You will still receive notifications if you select ‘only while using the app’ but the notifications will only appear if you have the app open.

This means you will not receive a notification when you close the app. Selecting ‘always allow’ is recommended to make sure you always receive important alerts.

You will need to allow both sets of permissions to receive Emergency WA notifications.

You can tap on the Emergency WA button once you have enabled both your location and motion and fitness activity permissions.

Once you have done this, you will also start to receive the notifications to your device.

This feature is currently available on Apple smart watches only.

Emergency WA notifications from the ServiceWA app will not trigger or alert emergency services to send firefighters to your location. It’s important you stay aware of your surroundings, follow any emergency warnings and follow your bushfire plan. If you don’t have a plan, it’s important you make one by visiting visit mybushfireplan.wa.gov.au.

There are a number of reasons why you may not receive a notification, such as you have not selected the 'always allow’ feature, you were not in a warning area, you did not have internet access, or background app refresh enabled.

Remember, a bushfire can strike at any moment and there may not be enough time to issue a warning before life or property are under threat. Never wait for a notification from ServiceWA before taking action for your own safety.