Community bushfire safety options on school premises
This guidance chapter provides information on the community bushfire safety options which are located on some school sites. This information will help schools understand the bushfire safety messages being shared with the wider community.
Neighbourhood Safer Places – Bushfire Place of Last Resort
Some Victorian government schools have buildings or open spaces approved by the Minister for Education as a Neighbourhood Safer Place (NSP).
An NSP is a place of last resort for the community while a bushfire passes through. These are usually open spaces, such as sporting ovals.
NSPs are intended to be used only when other bushfire plans have failed. They offer relative safety only, they do not guarantee protection from bushfire.
The NSP may or may not be the same location as a school’s Shelter-in-Place (SIP) building.
Each NSP is checked annually by 31 August by the municipal council to make sure it is still suitable.
For more information on designated NSPs and how they are assessed, refer to the CFA Neighbourhood Safer Places(opens in a new window) page.
Community Fire Refuges
A Community Fire Refuge (CFR) is also a place of last resort for the local community during a bushfire emergency. It is used only when all other plans have failed.
CFRs offer more protection than a regular house. However, they do not guarantee survival during a fire event and do not remove the need for every household to have their own bushfire survival plan.
Only two Victorian government schools have a CFR:
- Ferny Creek Primary School
- Millwarra Primary School.
These buildings operate as normal school facilities unless they are activated as a CFR.
The decision to activate CFRs is made by fire services through the State Response Controller, Regional Controller or Incident Controller.
A CFR may be activated when:
- there is a serious threat from bushfire or grassfire
- a Watch and Act(opens in a new window) warning or recommendation to evacuate has been issued, or
- the Incident Control Centre or State Control Centre decides it is needed.
When activated, community members may enter and use the building as a refuge. If the CFR is activated within school hours, students and staff will have priority access to the refuge.
The steps for preparing, activating and managing of CFRs are set out in the site-specific Community Fire Refuge Operating Procedures Manual kept by the CFA and provided to the school.
Further information on CFRs can be found on the CFA Community Fire Refuges(opens in a new window) page.
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