Brandrisk Ute (Fire Danger Outdoors)

In the Brandrisk Ute (Fire Danger Outdoors) app you gain:

• situation reports on fire danger where you happen to be in Sweden
• information as to whether there is a fire ban in force just now
• advice on how to light a fire and barbeque safely.

Download the app

You can easy download the app to your phone through the App Store or Google Play.

Brandrisk Ute (Fire danger Outdoors) in the App StoreBrandrisk Ute (Fire danger Outdoors) on Google Play

App launch mode – forecast

The forecast applies to the place where you are located, but you can also search for information for other places. The forecast is updated several times a day. Fire danger forecasts for different times of the day (all the way down to hourly forecasts) are available up to two days ahead. Daily forecasts correspond to the fire danger in the afternoon and are available for the current day and five days ahead. You can also check the status of a fire ban.

In launch mode, you will see a forecast for the maximum fire danger for the current 24-hour period, as well as forecasts for the maximum fire danger for future 24-hour periods. The day is divided into night-time fire danger from 0-6.00, morning 6.00-12.00, afternoon 12.00-18.00 and evening 18.00-24.00. You can also view 6-day forecasts and hourly forecasts up to two days ahead by pressing the “See 6-day forecast” button or by pressing the flame symbol with the current fire danger at the top.

The app displays the fire danger level based on an overall assessment of the risk for forest fire spread, forest fuel drying risk and grass fire danger. The maximum fire danger based on these risk factors is what is displayed in the app. For example, if the grass fire danger is high and the forest fire danger is low, you will see “4. High fire danger ”as the weighted fire danger. The fire danger level is also indicated with a number between 1-6 and a colour code for each level:

1. Very low danger (blue)
2. Low danger (green)
3. Moderate danger (yellow)
4. High danger (orange)
5. Very high danger (red)
6. Extreme danger (red-purple)

Recommendations

On the start page, you will also find recommendations on what you should do if you plan to have an outdoor fire and barbecue in the forest and on open ground based on the current fire danger. The recommendations are displayed for forest and open ground (forest fire danger) and also specifically for areas with dry grass (grass fire danger). For example, you should refrain from barbecuing and light a fire outdoors when the fire danger is 5. Very high (red) and 6. Extreme (red-purple).

You can find more detailed recommendations by clicking on the flames with the fire danger levels. The Fire facts tab in the app also contains information about how you can adapt other activities according to the current and forecasted fire danger, for example, if you plan to use a chainsaw or ride an ATV (quad ) in the forest and on open ground.
The fire danger forecasts are produced by SMHI on behalf of MSB. These are the same forecasts that SMHI posts as a risk message on its website, in its app and distributes to the media.

On the Forecast page, you can also click ”MSB announcements” to read an up-to-date notice about the fire danger.

Check the status of the fire ban

When the fire danger is high, your municipality or county administrative board can introduce a ban on outdoor fires and barbecuing in forests and on open ground. It is important that you always check the status of the fire ban before you have an outdoor fire or barbecue in the forest and on open ground.

On the start page (the Forecast tab) in the Outdoor Fire Risk app, you can see the status of the fire ban for the municipality or county in which you live or for another place that you can search for.

The status of the fire ban is indicated as follows:

• No fire ban
• Fire ban
• Stringent fire ban
• Other type of fire ban

In "In force as of", the date when the status was last updated is given, if this information is available. By clicking the symbol for the fire ban, or the button "?" (question mark), you can get general information about fire bans. If there is a fire ban in effect, a link is also given to the relevant municipality or county administrative board’s website, where you can read more information about what the fire ban means.

The information about fire bans is obtained from the county administrative boards' map service of current fire bans.
The County administrative boards' map service on fire bans (krisinformation.se)

Maps - get an overview of the fire danger

The app’s maps provide an overview of the fire danger for the whole country up to five days in advance. The map layer that is displayed first is the weighted fire danger. It is also possible to display detailed forecasts for forest fire spread danger (FWI index and FWI day, respectively), forest fuel drying and grass fire danger. By pressing "i" you can display or hide the colour legend in the map. You can also zoom in and out on the maps.

By pushing on a location on the map, you can get the fire danger forecast for that location. Your favourite locations are also shown on the map (it is possible to hide your favourites in Settings).

Favourites

Here, your favourite locations are saved so that you can quickly view fire danger forecasts for the area you have selected. You can also compare the current fire danger for your saved locations. To save a location, press the heart symbol in the app’s start mode (Forecast tab) or tap on the map and then press "Save location as favourite". You can also rename and delete your favourites. It is also possible to sort your favourites by different criteria. If you press the star symbol, the current favourite is always shown at the top regardless of sorting.

Share fire danger forecasts

You can share fire danger forecasts for your location or another location. You do this by using the share function, which you can find by going to the start page (Forecast tab) and pressing "See 6-day forecast" or by pushing the flame symbol with the current fire danger at the top. An image is then created. You can share this image through, for example, text message and e-mail or post it to social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

This is a great feature, for example, if you know that a family member or friend is in or travelling to a certain location. You can search for the fire danger for that location, share the fire danger and spread information about fire safety.

Fire facts

In the Fire Facts tab, you will find more information about fire danger and how to reduce the risk of starting fires in forests and on open ground. In Fire Facts, you can also find out:

• How you can adapt your activities according to the current and forecasted fire danger, for example, if you plan to barbecue and build a fire in the forest and on open ground or if you plan to use a chainsaw, clearing saw or other tools.
• Explanation of fire danger levels.
• FAQ – frequently asked questions and answers about fire danger and wildfires.
• Informational videos about fire safety.
• Interesting facts about fire safety and how fires occur.
• Guides for safely building a fire outdoors, barbecuing, etc.

It is also possible to search in the Fire facts tab.

About the app

Here you can read a summary about Brandrisk Ute (Fire Danger Outdoors) and information about how to get started with the app. You can also read more about accessibility and our privacy policy and learn about MSB's other apps.

We are constantly working to improve Brandrisk Ute (Fire Danger Outdoors) and your opinion is important to us. Here you can also get information on how to contact MSB if you have any questions or comments about the app (see contact details at the bottom of this website).

Settings

In Settings, you can find several different options:

• You can choose Swedish or English in the app. The language you will see first is the language used in the settings in your mobile phone/tablet.
• You can show and hide favourite locations on the map.
• You can switch on and off auto zoom in the map. If auto zoom is active, the map will automatically zoom to your location.
• It is possible to choose which of the tabs in the app that should be the start tab. You can select Forecast, Map or Favourites.

API

Via an open API (application programming interface), you can get the fire danger forecasts from the Brandrisk Ute (Fire Danger Outdoors) app. This can be useful, for example, if you develop your own apps and want to display the fire danger forecasts in your application.

An explanation of the fire danger parameters is given below:

• Weighted fire danger (riskIndex): Overall assessment of the FWI index, Forest fuel drying and Grass fire danger where the maximum of these is generally used. If, for example, the FWI index and Fuel drying are very low, but the grass fire danger is high, the weighted fire danger is displayed as “4. High fire danger ”.
• Weighted forest fire danger (woodIndex): Weighted in a similar way, but only for forest fire danger. In general, the higher value of the FWI index and Forest fuel drying is selected.

Public API used by the app BrandriskUTE

FWI-index (fwiIndex)

• Forest fuel drying (combustible Index)
• Grass fire danger (grass Index)