Automating Fire Ban Updates with Shortcuts
I built a Shortcut that makes it incredibly easy to check whether there’s currently a fire ban in Dysart et al. Instead of digging through a municipal website or scrolling a feed, I can now get a clean, glanceable update with one tap.
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How I Built It
The Shortcut pulls from this endpoint:
https://www.dysartetal.ca//modules/NewsModule/services/getalertbannerfeeds.ashx
That feed contains JSON data with alert banners, including fire ban notices. Here’s what happens step by step:
Fetch the feed – Using “Get Contents of URL,” the Shortcut retrieves the raw JSON.
Parse into a dictionary – I convert the response into a Dictionary so each item can be checked.
Scan for fire ban notices – A “Match Text” action looks for the string Fire Ban. If there are matches, I know there’s an active ban.
Extract title and description – I loop through the items, grab the title and description fields, and convert the HTML-rich text into plain strings.
Build a styled HTML card – If a ban is active, the Shortcut injects the title and description into a block of HTML with big, bold text so it’s easy to read.
Display the result – The HTML card is shown in a Safari-style web view. If no fire ban is in effect, I get a simple alert that says: “No Fire Ban Status currently available.”
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Why I Use It
Municipal websites aren’t always designed for quick updates, especially on a phone. With this Shortcut, I don’t have to waste time hunting for information—I get a direct answer in seconds.
It’s also a great example of how I like to use Shortcuts: not for giant, flashy automations, but for small, thoughtful utilities that make my day smoother.
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Customizing the Shortcut
Since the Shortcut outputs HTML, it’s easy to tweak the look:
- Change font sizes to make the text more readable.
- Add colors—red for “ban in effect,” green for “ban lifted.”
- Include extra fields from the feed if needed.
And because it’s all built with system actions, I can extend it further: send a push notification when a ban starts, or log changes to a running Notes document.
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Final Thoughts
This Shortcut takes raw municipal data and turns it into something useful that I can check at a glance. It removes friction, saves me time, and gives me peace of mind knowing I can always find out the current fire ban status instantly.
Fire Ban Status
