Under a deal between the State Government and Commercial Radio Australia more than 30 commercial radio stations - including 3AW, 3MP, Fox, Nova and Triple M - will join the ABC as official emergency broadcasters.

Premier John Brumby said the agreement would deliver emergency messages to a wider, younger, audience and save lives.

Speaking at the Belgrave Heights and South fire station during a State Government Community Cabinet visit to the region on Monday, Mr Brumby said the deal ensured an immediate warning would be sent out to communities during a bushfire emergency.

CFA Yarra Area general manager Lex de Man urged residents to add battery-operated radios to existing fire plans.

"Any new mode of increasing the ability to get messages to the community is a huge plus for the coming fire season."

Mr de Man was keen on television networks joining the emergency broadcast network despite the risk of power outages in an emergency. "Any medium, when operable, is a great way to get the message out."

Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin was confident the scope of the agreement would reduce radio frequency blackspots and give communities the information they needed in the event of any emergency.

"It's about a one-source one-message approach - one simple set of language goes out to all emergency broadcasters at the same time."

Mr Esplin and the State Government were confident of brokering a similar deal with free-to-air television networks.

ACE Radio managing director Stephen Everett said: "No matter where people live they will be able to access the information they need by listening to the radio station they normally listen to - and for 85 per cent of people it's commercial radio stations."