Architecture news & editorial desk Australia’s national science agency CSIRO has partnered with AFAC, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services to develop a bushfire modelling and prediction tool that will significantly improve emergency response efforts nationwide. AFAC’s Fire Prediction Services Group will work with CSIRO to build a national system that allows for consistent bushfire predictions to support emergency service and response teams across borders while also enabling hazard planning for the future. CSIRO, in a report to the Commonwealth Government last year, had recommended the creation of a nationally consistent bushfire modelling and prediction capability. Based on CSIRO’s ‘Spark’ fire prediction platform, the cutting-edge bushfire simulation tool, Spark Operational will open up bushfire prediction opportunities across borders and over different landscapes, enabling fire and emergency services agencies across Australia to anticipate fires, plan their response, improve decision-making, mitigate risks, and limit the devastation while keeping both firefighters and communities safe.