The recent extremely hot weather conditions in several states and territories and the bushfires in NSW should act as a timely reminder that schools, and not just those in regional centers, need to be prepared for bushfires and the raft of potential life threatening hazards that can accompany them. Even schools set in suburban landscapes can be affected by bushfires if they have bush areas on campus or if they are in proximity to public open space or small pockets of undeveloped land.
The importance of schools being bushfire prepared is especially important in Victoria where it is a condition of registration that all non-government schools implement policies and procedures to comply with the VRQA Guidelines for Registered Schools on Bushfire Preparedness. In Victoria, bushfire season is during October-April.
But of course, in a country like Australia, schools in all areas can be at risk for fire. “What is really very clear is that the conditions for a catastrophic fire are in place and we expect these conditions to continue in a warmer climate.” “It becomes not a question of if but a question of when we will be seeing devastating bushfires.” (Sydney-based Fire and Rescue NSW and member of the Firefighters Climate Alliance, Jim Casey ). Note that the Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating has been added to the Australia-wide Fire Danger Rating system since the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria.
According to an Australian Government report, ‘Living in a Land of Fire’, the seasons in which fires typically occur vary across the Australian continent; fires in northern Australia occur during the dry season in ‘winter’ and ‘spring’, while in the southeast and southwest the fire season is in summer and autumn. The Bureau of Meteorology produce a simplified map that identifies, at a glance, when fire seasons take place across the country.
Many state or territory bodies advise of their fire danger season dates for each of their regions such as this South Australian example. In addition, the Climate Institute produces a fact sheet that assists in dispelling the myths associated with fire seasons in Australia.
For schools in the southern half of the country, the return to school after the long summer vacation break also heralds the commencement of a peak time for bushfires and other fire related incidents.
The Bushfires and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre Australia develop the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Southern Australia annually. Fire authorities from around the country use this to make strategic decisions on resource planning and prescribed fire management for the upcoming fire season. This map indicates areas of bushfire potential with red being above normal, yellow normal and blue below normal.
At first observation of this map, it is clear that many metropolitan and regional non-government schools can be found in the areas of the map identified as being ‘above normal’ for bushfire potential for the 2016/2017 fire season.
Using this information and by having an in-depth knowledge of local regions and historical bushfire behaviour in each region, each state and territory government or their relevant bushfire authority produce their own policies and guidelines for bushfires; such as these examples from the ACT, NSW, Tasmania and the NT.
The Western Australian Department of Education publish an outstanding document, ‘The Principal’s Guide to Bushfire’. This document, although written for government schools, has been adopted and adapted by many non-government schools in WA as it provides up to date and common sense advice for principals wishing to reduce the risks associated with potentially life threatening bushfires. As per the Department of Education Services Guide to the Registration Standards and Other Requirements for Non-Government Schools (2017 - pg 57), it is also a general student safety requirement in Western Australia for non-government schools to have policies and procedures addressing bushfire preparedness for re-registration purposes.
So, what should schools be doing as a minimum to ensure that they meet duty of care requirements for their students and staff with the possibility of a heightened summer bushfire season? Below is a list of suggested steps which could be undertaken in addition to complying with legal and regulatory requirements.
It is very apparent that state and territory regulators are including requirements for non-government schools to have up to date bushfire emergency plans. As discussed earlier in this article, examples can be found in Victoria (see this School Governance article) and Western Australia.
Is your school bushfire ready? What are the consequences if you have a bushfire risk and you choose to ignore it?