Research explainer
How could official wildfire updates reach more people?
SFRS Wildfire information is already published, but it is often buried across the SFRS website wildfire hub and separate News posts. That makes it hard for the public to see the latest position—and hard for other channels to notice and reuse the official information.
1 — The problem today
Useful information exists, but people have to hunt for the current answer
Someone planning a trip or looking for advice may need to move between the SFRS Wildfires hub and several News posts to work out whether a warning still applies, which area it covers and what has changed. Current sharing on social channels reaches people who already follow SFRS, its partners, or who happen to see a shared post.
Wildfire warnings today
The Wildfires hub leads to a Danger Assessments page; this does not list the assessments but links to one selected, often outdated News warning. A reader still has to work out whether that post is current, updated or replaced.
Wildfires hub → Danger Assessments → selected News post
Significant incidents today
Initial and follow-up information sits in the same chronological News list as the Danger Assessments and unrelated SFRS stories. An ordinary post—for example a meeting or royal visit—can appear above a wildfire update, making the current public position harder to spot.
News archive → mixed stories → reader hunts for the latest incident update
2 — What could change
Publish warnings on a warning page, and significant incidents on an incidents page
The change is straightforward. When a wildfire warning changes, update the dedicated Wildfire Danger Assessments page to show the assessment. When a significant incident needs public updates, add it to an incidents landing page and keep that incident's own page updated. This gives the public—and AI, search and Google—a clear official page they may be able to find and track.
When wildfire danger changes
Wildfire Danger Assessments page
current warning · area · action · time
People can check the current warning directly
AI and search may find this clear official page
When a significant incident needs public updates
Wildfire incidents landing page
links to a named incident page
One maintained incident page
status · location · action · updates
AI, search and Google Maps SOS may find it
3 — Why these changes could amplify reach
It could reach people who would not think to search for a wildfire update
The aim is to increase and diversify reach. A dated official page with a named area, clear status and practical advice gives digital services enough context to recognise that a warning could matter while someone asks about activities, plans a journey or checks local conditions—not only when they already know to search for “wildfire warning”.
Planning a day in the Cairngorms
Someone asks an AI chat what to do in the area. Alongside suggested activities, the chat may be able to highlight a current wildfire warning or fire-ban message that affects the plan, then link to the official advice.
AI decides what it retrieves and mentions. A clear official page improves the chance it can recognise the warning; it does not guarantee inclusion.
Checking a route on Google Maps
Someone checks a route from A to B. If Google's wildfire system is showing a nearby wildfire, its map layer may bring the fire into view, explain that a wildfire is nearby and prompt the person to consider an alternative route. A fire pin with a SOS crisis card may then offer associated official information. A maintained incident page gives Google a clear source to link to if it chooses to show the event.
What is Google's wildfire layer, and when is it used?
Google's wildfire-boundary project uses satellite information to draw an estimated fire area on google maps. A fire marker pin links to a SOS crisis card which can show authoritative web, social and Google sources and link to official incident information. On 08 August 2026, a wildfire in Suffolk, Dunwich Heath, was shown on google maps with a crisis card linking to Suffolk Council's maintained incident page and SuffolkFRS facebook page. Other concurrent uk fires were not surfaced on google maps. This shows why a persistent, well-described public incident page is useful although it does not prove Suffolk councils caused the card or boundary to appear.
4 — What could be added later
One official update could also be published as a small reusable data feed
Alongside the public warning page, SFRS could publish the same core facts in a simple text-based data feed. Other digital services could then consume and show the current information without copying it by hand or trying to interpret a web page.
Practical reuse
A simple feed for partners and websites
A JSON feed is a straightforward text format that a visitor website, local-information service or warning app can read automatically. When SFRS updates the warning, those services can update from the same approved source.
Formal alert route
A formal feed for alert systems
CAP XML is a more formal alert-message format used by some public-warning systems. If SFRS were eligible and an external service accepted the feed, it could support routes such as Google Public Alerts. It is different from Google Maps SOS.
Visible public use
A widget for partner websites
A widget is a small ready-made panel that SFRS could produce for visitor sites, local authorities and outdoor organisations to add to their own pages. When a current-data feed is available, it could show the approved status, area and action, then link back to SFRS.
The public page remains the authoritative explanation. The feed is not a second website: it is a consistent, machine-readable version of the same approved update.
What are JSON and CAP XML?
Both are text-based ways for computers to read a warning reliably. JSON is common for websites, apps and lightweight integrations. CAP XML is an international public-alert format designed for alert systems; it can carry formal fields such as area, urgency, instructions, validity and update or cancellation references. The appropriate format depends on the recipient system. In either case, partners should consume an approved source rather than scrape or manually copy SFRS website pages.
What are Google Public Alerts?
Google Public Alerts is a formal partner route for live, official warnings. An eligible public-safety publisher can supply Google with a maintained CAP alert containing the affected area, the time it applies, public instructions and a link to the full official update. Google may then use that information in relevant Search, Maps and mobile warning experiences.
The main potential benefit is reaching people who have not deliberately visited the SFRS website: for example, someone checking a route, planning a walk or considering a camping trip in an affected area could see the current warning and be directed to the official advice.
This is a conditional later option. It requires an eligible, accountable publisher, distribution rights, a reliable CAP feed and Google onboarding. It is different from Google Maps SOS and does not create a satellite wildfire boundary. See Google’s Public Alerts introduction.
Website widget example — two states
A website widget is a small pre-built panel, supplied by SFRS, that a partner can place on its own website without rewriting the official message. It would help reach people while they are choosing a walk, campsite, visitor attraction or route, before they think to search for wildfire information.
Initially it could carry approved seasonal prevention content. Later, once SFRS has an approved current-warning record and publishes a small JSON feed from it, the same widget could read that feed and update its current-warning state automatically. SFRS would remain responsible for the source record and feed; host websites would display it and link people back to the full official page. CAP XML is not required for this use.