THE Bushfires Royal Commission Interim Report includes the following recommendations:

- Bushfire warnings be designed to save lives

- Warnings must use clear language, avoid euphemisms, and contain explicit information

- A new fire severity scale (similar to the cyclone categories 1 to 5)

- Bushfire warnings in Victoria are confined to two categories or stages:
   Bushfire Information  - a message providing information on a bushfire that is going and has the potential to threaten public safety; and
   Bushfire Warning - a warning about any dangerous or extremely dangerous bushfire that poses a threat to life.

- The Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) be used in Victoria

- Commercial operators join the ABC in disseminating bushfire warning messages

- The Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner and the CFA develop guidelines for the use of warning sirens

- The Australian government, COAG and the state examine the second phase of national mobile phone warning system for 2009-2010 season

- A single, multi-agency website for bushfire information with information on both CFA and DSE websites.

- The word relocation is used in preference to the word evacuation (except in cases where evacuation is clearly more appropriate).

- CFA personnel be able to advise residents on the suitability of leaving early

- Incident controllers be able to assess whether relocation should occur and to recommend relocation when warranted.

- The CFA revise its communication to the community about preparing for bushfires and what to do in a bushfire to:
   reinforce advice that community members should prepare, and decide, well before a fire occurs, whether to leave early or stay and defend their homes; and
   clearly convey the following principles:

- the safest option is always to leave early rather than to stay and defend; not all homes are defendable; the risks of staying to defend include the risk of physical injury and death

- The CFA assist in the defence of designated community fire refuges and neighbourhood safer places.

- The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development complete a review of all refuges in all schools in areas at risk of bushfire.

- The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development review bushfire fire protection in kindergartens, childcare centres, preschools and early learning centres.

- The Country Fire Authority's chief officer has responsibility to issue warnings and provide information to the community concerning the risk of bushfires.

- Review of roadblocks policy

- Better co-ordination among commonwealth emergency bodies.