Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness

Policy

This policy outlines actions schools and early childhood services must take in relation to bushfire and grassfire risk.

Summary

• All registered schools, as a component of their registration, must comply with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) Guidelines on bushfire preparedness.
• Schools and early childhood services must ensure they understand their bushfire and grassfire hazard exposure, their risk and the actions that they need to take for their emergency management planning, preparedness, ongoing situational awareness and response.
• Schools on the department’s Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) and assessed to be at the greatest risk of fire need to understand the corresponding pre-emptive actions that are required on days of elevated fire danger (High or Extreme fire danger rating (FDR) based on risk categorisation) in their local government area.
• All schools and early childhood services on the BARR, and schools and early childhood services considered at risk of bushfire or grassfire (Category 4), must close on all days forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology to be Catastrophic FDR in their fire weather district.
• Schools must cancel all bus routes which travel through fire weather districts that are forecasted to be Catastrophic FDR.
• In the event of exposure to an immediate bushfire or grassfire threat, all school principals and approved providers/facility managers (or their delegates) have the authority to enact their Emergency Management Plan (EMP).
• The department and the Country Fire Authority have collaborated to provide guidance to schools and early childhood services on the BARR and Category 4 list on preparing for the risk of bushfire and grassfire, available on the Guidance tab.
• Some Victorian schools are also designated Neighbourhood Safer Places or accommodate Community Fire Refuges which are buildings or land that are intended to be used as a refuge of last resort during the passage of a bushfire, for persons whose primary bushfire plans have failed. Further details can be found in the Guidance tab.

Details

Bushfire and grassfire risk management

The department’s Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness Policy is informed by expert advice from the emergency sector, including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Schools and early childhood services around Victoria are at varying risk from bushfire and grassfire:

• Every school and facility should consider if they are located near bushland or grassland, placing it at increased risk of bushfires or grassfires. Information and resources are available from the Country Fire Authority.
• All registered schools, as a component of their registration, must comply with the VRQA’s Guidelines on bushfire preparedness (VRQA guidelines).
• In addition, the department maintains a register of the schools and early childhood services most at risk of bushfire – the BARR. The department also maintains a list of schools and early childhood services at a lower level of risk of bushfire and grassfire (Category 4 list).
• Schools on the BARR have additional preparedness requirements under the VRQA guidelines.

Schools and early childhood services at any risk of bushfire and grassfire can be required to take pre-emptive action to protect against the risk of fire. For more information, refer to the Pre-emptive actions chapter of the Guidance tab in conjunction with this policy.

In the event of exposure to an immediate bushfire or grassfire threat, all school principals or facility managers (or their delegates) have the authority to enact the school or facility’s Emergency Management Plan (EMP).

Risk assessment and categorisation of schools and early childhood services on the BARR

The department has applied an evidence-based methodology for identifying which schools and early childhood services will be on the BARR and how BARR schools’ risk will be categorised.

All schools and early childhood services in Victoria are reviewed utilising a fire risk methodology developed by the CSIRO for Victorian educational facilities.

When determining which schools and early childhood services should be on the BARR, the department, based on advice from the CSIRO, considers:

• the site's Bushfire Prone Area designation
• the Bushfire Management Overlay
• the Victorian Fire Risk Register
• the site's terrain, fuel and vegetation type.

Schools and early childhood services listed on the BARR are rated according to their level of bushfire risk, as either Category 0, 1, 2 or 3, with Category 0 having the highest bushfire risk profile. Fire risk categories are reviewed and confirmed annually.

Schools and early childhood services at some risk of bushfire or grassfire

The department maintains a list of schools and early childhood services at some lower level of risk for bushfire or grassfire which is reviewed annually. Refer to the Schools and early childhood services at risk of grassfire (Category 4) page for further information.

Schools and early childhood services on this list must close on days that are forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology as at a Catastrophic FDR in their fire weather district and cancel their bus routes.

All schools and early childhood services located near grassland must record their grassfire response procedures in their EMP, and government schools are to utilise the online EMP portal to do this. Refer to Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning.

Schools and early childhood services on the BARR

The department maintains a register of the schools and early childhood services most at risk of bushfire – the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR).

When listed on the BARR, the school:

• is categorised based on its bushfire risk
• must meet requirements for bushfire preparedness in the VRQA guidelines
• may be required, based on its BARR category, to enact their pre-emptive action plan (being either their pre-emptive relocation, learning from home, or closure plan) on High or Extreme FDR days in their local government area (LGA)
• must close on days forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology as Catastrophic FDR in their fire weather district and cancel any bus routes
• receives bushfire-specific compliance advice for their Shelter-in-Place building.

Schools and early childhood services with queries about this register should email emergency.management@education.vic.gov.au

Bushfire preparedness for schools at bushfire risk

Schools and early childhood services located near bushland must record their bushfire response procedures in their EMP, and government schools must use an online EMP portal to do this. Refer to Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning.

The VRQA guidelines include specific requirements in relation to infrastructure and site maintenance, emergency management planning, information sharing and training that BARR schools must comply with as a condition of their registration.

Note: Early childhood services are separately regulated by the department’s Quality Assessment and Regulation Division (QARD). Emergency management requirements for early childhood services are available at Emergency management requirements – early childhood professionals.

Arrangements for schools at highest bushfire risk

Schools in Categories 0, 1 and 2 must have one of the following pre-emptive action plans, based on their specific context and fire risk:

• Relocation pre-emptive action plan – relocation of the school to operate on a safer school site
• Learning from home pre-emptive action plan
• Closure pre-emptive action plan

Refer to the Resources tab for templates to support the development of pre-emptive action plans.

Relocation is always the preferred option to ensure safety for staff and students and the continuity of education, however this is not always possible for every school. Where relocation is not feasible then a learning from home plan should be considered to continue education where it is safe to do so.

If relocation is not a feasible option, identified highest risk BARR schools will be approved by their regional director to develop a learning from home or closure plan.

Your school’s pre-emptive action plans must be developed in consultation with regional emergency management staff, reviewed by your senior education improvement leader (SEIL) and approved by your regional director.

After approval by your regional director, your plan must be monitored each year to ensure it is still up to date. Any changes to your plan will need to be reviewed and approved by your regional director by 1 September each year, in line with your annual update to your school’s EMP.

Pre-emptive actions will be triggered for Category 0 schools on a forecasted High and Extreme FDR day in their LGA, and for Category 1 and 2 schools on a forecasted Extreme FDR day in their LGA.

Ahead of the fire danger period, these schools must:

• engage and involve their school community in bushfire preparedness planning
• identify a host location
• develop a bushfire preparedness pre-emptive relocation, learning from home or closure plan for approval from their regional director – refer to the Resources tab for template plans.

Arrangements for highest risk schools will be as follows:

• Category 0 schools – will relocate, undertake learning from home arrangements or close in accordance with their pre-approved plan on a day of forecast High and Extreme FDR for their LGA
• Category 1 schools – will relocate, undertake learning from home arrangements or close in accordance with their pre-approved plan on a day of forecast Extreme FDR for their LGA
• Category 2 schools – will relocate, undertake learning from home arrangements or close in accordance with their pre-approved plan on a day of forecast Extreme FDR for their LGA.

Before enacting a pre-emptive action plan, schools must:

• notify staff, parents and carers, outside school hours care and other site users, for example, contractors
• complete the Enacting your pre-emptive action plan (relocation, learning from home, or closure) checklist (DOCX)
• make alternate arrangements for camps and excursions that are due to depart or arrive at the school on the day of the relocation.

These arrangements are not applicable to Catastrophic FDR days as the department implements a pre-emptive closure plan for all schools on the BARR and Category 4 list.

Schools on the BARR, regardless of categorisation, may still apply to their regional director to have alternate arrangements for their school due to elevated fire danger forecast which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. These schools, in the first instance, should discuss their plans with their regional manager, operations and emergency management.

Catastrophic FDR days

Schools and early childhood services on the BARR and Category 4 list regardless of risk category, must close and cancel their buses on days forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology as Catastrophic FDR in their fire weather district. All other buses which travel through the Catastrophic FDR fire weather district will also be cancelled.

Catastrophic FDR is the highest level of fire danger. These are the most dangerous conditions for a fire and if a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost. Catastrophic FDR days will be forecast for the whole of a fire weather district.

The department will be advised of the potential for Catastrophic FDR conditions through the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts. The region will:

• wherever possible, provide schools and early childhood services with 4 to 7 days’ notice of a possible Catastrophic FDR day closure to enable schools to forewarn their school and parent/carer community
• confirm the final decision to close a school by 1 pm the day before the Catastrophic FDR day closure.

Ahead of the fire danger period, schools and early childhood services on the BARR and Category 4 list must:

• advise their school and parent/carer community and all site users of the arrangements for the summer that the school or early childhood facility will be closed on any Catastrophic FDR day in their fire weather district, and nobody is to be on site that day
• include pre-emptive closure procedures in their emergency management plan
• complete the activities outlined in the bushfire/grassfire readiness checklist schools (DOCX) or bushfire/grassfire readiness checklist early childhood (DOCX)
• notify bus travellers and parents/carers that no school bus services will operate to or from a school closed on a Catastrophic FDR day in their fire weather district.

Note: Schools and early childhood services not on the BARR or Category 4 list will remain open, unless they are directly threatened by fire or another emergency.

Schools and early childhood services on the BARR and Category 4 list must do the following before closing on a Catastrophic FDR day:

• notify staff, parents/carers and all other site users (including school-based contractors*, outside school hours care, extracurricular activities and programs) that the school or early childhood facility will close and nobody is to be on site that day (schools may consider using the template letters and newsletter content, for this purpose, refer to the Resources tab)
• check proposed camp and excursion venues located in forecast Catastrophic FDR fire weather districts and update the Student Activity Locator with cancellations or changes
• notify bus travellers, parents, bus operators and client schools of potential and confirmed cancellation of bus routes.

Schools are strongly encouraged to download the VicEmergency app to maintain situational awareness, including notification of any forecasts of Catastrophic FDR days in their fire weather district.

All school and early childhood facility closures as well as bus service cancellations are published on the department website – refer to Closures and bus service cancellations.

*This policy does not apply to construction sites separately cordoned off from the school site under the control of a Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) contractor. For further information email: vsba@education.vic.gov.au

Shelter-In-Place building

All schools (regardless of their BARR status) must nominate a building or buildings on the school site that can provide temporary accommodation until emergency services arrive and/or as a building of last resort if there is insufficient time to evacuate. The school must identify the Shelter-In-Place in their EMP and follow the process described to request changes to nominated SIP buildings.

For further details refer to Shelter-in-Place Buildings.

Planned burning

Planned burning is conducted throughout the state to reduce the risk to communities from future bushfires. For more information about the location and timing of planned burns for the next ten days, you may contact the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667 or visit the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning – Planned Burns Victoria.

Related policies

• Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Compliance
• Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning
• Excursions
• Leave — Bushfire, Flood or Other Severe Weather Event
• Shelter-in-Place Buildings

Contacts

For information about vegetation clearance grants available to schools in bushfire prone areas:

School Grants Unit
bushfire@education.vic.gov.au

For all other enquiries regarding bushfire and grassfire preparedness:

Policy and Intelligence Unit
Security and Emergency Management Division
emergency.management@education.vic.gov.au

Guidance

The department has drawn upon subject matter expertise from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to provide this safety information for schools and early childhood services on preparing for the risk of bushfire. This guidance contains the following chapters:

• Pre-emptive actions
• Community bushfire safety options on school premises
• Bushfire safety information
• Vegetation management
• Grassfire safety information

Pre-emptive actions

Schools and education facilities can be required to take pre-emptive action to protect against the risk of bushfire. The required pre-emptive action depends on the forecast fire danger rating (FDR) and the bushfire risk category of the facility. More information about bushfire risk categories is available on the Policy tab.

Pre-emptive closure for schools in Categories 0 to 4

All schools in Categories 0 to 4 must close on days forecasted as Catastrophic FDR in their fire district.

Schools may begin to prepare for the possibility of pre-emptive closure up to 4 days before the forecasted Catastrophic FDR day as informed by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecast.

The department will advise schools of the potential for a Catastrophic FDR as information becomes available, however the pre-emptive closure will be confirmed by 1 pm the day prior to Catastrophic FDR day.

Schools in categories 0 to 4 should ensure that they have communicated their fire risk assessment and requirement to close on a Catastrophic FDR day in the fire district with their school communities.

Pre-emptive action for schools in Categories 1 and 2

In addition to the above, all schools in Categories 1 and 2 will enact their pre-emptive action plan (relocation, learning from home, or closure) on a day forecast as Extreme FDR in their local government area (LGA).

Due to the nature of LGA forecasting, the department will advise schools of the potential for an Extreme FDR in their LGA as the information becomes available.

Schools in categories 1 and 2 should ensure that they have communicated their fire risk assessment and planned pre-emptive action on an Extreme FDR day in their LGA with their school community.

It is also important for schools to be aware of individual and family bushfire plans and identify what staff members and students may not be attending a relocated school site or participating in learning from home. It is recommended that schools confirm individual and family bushfire plans of their staff and school community, such as through a survey or information sessions, before the fire season to help inform workforce planning and student attendance on days of elevated fire danger. Visit the CFA website for information on individual and family bushfire plans.

Pre-emptive action for schools in Category 0

In addition to the above, all schools in Category 0 will enact their pre-emptive action plan (relocation, learning from home, or closure) on a day forecast as High or Extreme FDR in their local government area (LGA).

Due to the nature of LGA forecast, the department will advise schools of the potential for a High or Extreme FDR in their LGA as the information becomes available.

Schools in Category 0 should ensure that they have communicated their fire risk assessment and planned pre-emptive action on a High or Extreme FDR day in their LGA with their school community. More information on communicating with the school community, including the templates available to support school communications, is available under the Bushfire safety information chapter.

It is also important for schools to be aware of individual and family bushfire plans and identify what staff members and students may not be attending a relocated school site or participating in learning from home. It is recommended that schools confirm individual and family bushfire plans of their staff and school community before the fire season.

Community bushfire safety options on school premises

Neighbourhood Safer Places

Some Victorian government schools have buildings or land authorised by the Minister for Education to be a Neighbourhood Safer Place (NSP).

NSPs provide an option of last resort during the passage of a bushfire. They are typically open spaces, such as sporting ovals.

NSPs are intended to be used by persons whose primary bushfire plans have failed. They are places of relative safety only.

The NSP may or may not be the same location as school’s Shelter-in-Place (SIP) building.

The NSP is assessed annually by 31 August by the municipal council to determine ongoing suitability to be a designated NSP.

Designated NSPs and assessment information can be found on the CFA Neighbourhood Safer Places page.

Community Fire Refuges

A Community Fire Refuge (CFR) provides a place of last resort for the local community in the event of a bushfire threatening the area, when all other plans have failed.

CFRs offer a higher level of protection than residential dwellings but do not guarantee survival in the event of an emergency. As such, CFRs do not replace the need for community members to have their own bushfire survival plan. The safest option is to leave bushfire risk areas early on days where the Fire Danger Rating (FDR) is Extreme or Catastrophic.

CFRs must comply with the performance and operational requirements and required prescriptive inputs for the public construction of CFRs in accordance with Ministerial Directions for public construction.

Ferny Creek Primary School and Millwarra Primary School are the only Victorian schools that have a CFR in one of their school buildings. These buildings operate as their intended educational purpose, until activated as a CFR.

The decision to activate CFRs will rest with the fire services through the State Response Controller, Regional Controller or Incident Controller, in accordance with local operating procedures. If there is a serious threat from bushfire or grassfire and a Watch and Act warning or recommendation to evacuate is issued or as otherwise determined by the Incident Control Centre or State Control Centre, the community will be permitted to occupy the building as a fire refuge.

If the CFR is activated within school hours, the school’s staff and students have priority access to the refuge and school staff will provide a safe space for students and the rest of the public.

The site-specific Community Fire Refuge Operating Procedures Manual maintained by Emergency Management Victoria outlines the operational procedures for the preparation, activation, opening and operation of the CFR during a fire event. Further information on CFRs can be found on the CFA Community Fire Refuges page.

Bushfire safety information

Essential bushfire safety information for schools and early childhood services on the Bushfire at-Risk Register (BARR) and Category 4 ahead of the summer fire season.

Fire behaviour in Victoria is classified by 7 different fire behaviour models, which refer to the different types of fire fuels available across the Victorian landscape. These fire fuels include forest, grassland, grassy woodland, spinifex, shrubland, mallee heath, pine and non-combustible fuels. Whilst the term bushfire is used broadly to refer to all fires across these different fuel types, it is important to understand that fire can behave differently in different landscapes and with different fuels.

To understand more about fire risks for your school, visit the CFA’s Resources for Schools at Risk of Fire.

Communication resources

To assist with informing your families about your school or early childhood services relocating or closing on forecast days of elevated fire danger, the department has produced standardised posters, newsletter articles, letter templates and other communication tools that you may choose to adapt and use as appropriate. These can be found on the Resources tab.

Emergency and critical incident management planning

Schools have access to an online emergency management planning tool (staff login required). Plans need to be reviewed and updated by 1 September annually. Refer to the Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning Policy for further information.

Schools and early childhood services should continue to review and update their risk assessments and response procedures, so they are site-specific and provide the appropriate level of guidance in the event that the procedures need to be activated.

Ensuring your school and early childhood service’s building, safety equipment and surrounds are fire ready is critical to reducing the consequences of a bushfire. Consider using the bushfire/grassfire readiness checklist schools (DOCX) or bushfire/grassfire readiness checklist early childhood (DOCX) ahead of the fire season.

Student participation in bushfire readiness

Research indicates that when students have access to accurate knowledge and information about bushfires and are provided with opportunities to actively participate in bushfire planning activities, they can make a valuable contribution to risk reduction at home, at school, and in the broader school community. By actively involving your students in the school’s emergency planning, they will also be better equipped to follow the necessary procedures in the event of a bushfire emergency.

The CFA website has lesson plans that teachers can utilise in the classroom to enhance students’ understanding of bushfire planning and support student participation in the planning process.

The website has a dedicated section to support schools with information regarding the communication of fire related information to students, families and the broader school community.

Essential resources for schools

CFA has a variety of information, programs and tools, which can assist people to plan and prepare for bushfire and grassfire.

This includes Your Guide to Survival, which provides essential information for anyone who lives, works or travels throughout Victoria this summer.

To assist community members residing in high fire risk areas to prepare their properties and plans, the Fire Ready Kit provides more detailed information on summer fire safety.

Additionally, here are some activities that you can undertake to support your school community to prepare for bushfire and grassfire:

• Talk to your local CFA Brigade and help promote any scheduled community meetings.
• Talk to parents and children about school or early childhood service’s emergency management planning arrangements.
• Contact your local CFA District Community Education Coordinator to arrange a bushfire planning workshop for staff and/or families.

Vegetation management

Bushfire Preparedness (Vegetation) Program

School campuses listed on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) (Categories 0 to 3) receive funding under the department’s Bushfire Preparedness (Vegetation) Program (BPVP) in recognition of their higher risk.

BPVP funding is provided for essential bushfire vegetation clearance works undertaken prior to the annual bushfire season. A condition of BPVP funding is that eligible BARR schools must demonstrate appropriate planning for bushfire mitigation by ensuring they have a basic vegetation management plan (VMP) in place (or equivalent).

Over the course of a 3-year rotation, all eligible BARR schools will be visited by a VSBA funded, qualified bushfire planning and design practitioner and provided with a 3-year VMP tailored for that school.

School sites listed on the BARR that have been de-staffed or deemed surplus by the department must also meet BPVP guidelines, with this responsibility assumed by the relevant region or in the case of surplus sites, the department’s Property, Land and Regeneration Unit.

The BPVP factsheet (PDF) provides up to date information and guidelines on how schools can utilise (and then acquit) BPVP funding.

All schools must conduct site maintenance in accordance with VRQA Guidelines on bushfire preparedness. Category 4 schools are encouraged to complete a vegetation management plan but are not required to do so.

A vegetation management plan template (DOCX) is available to help all schools with their site maintenance.

Further information is available by contacting the BPVP support team in the School Grants Unit at bushfire@education.vic.gov.au or on 03 7022 2368.

Grassfire safety information

Essential grassfire safety information for schools and early childhood services ahead of the summer fire season.

About grassfires

Grassfires can start and spread quickly, especially on days when the fire danger rating is High, Extreme or Catastrophic.

The fire danger rating will tell you how dangerous a fire would be if one started. As the ratings increase, so does the risk of fires being uncontrollable.

If your educational facility is near grassland, parks or paddocks, you can be at risk, even when your school or early childhood service is on the urban fringe.

The Country Fire Authority has information to help you better understand the risks at your site as well as grassfire information for rural areas and near cities and towns.

You can find out more information through the links available in the Resources tab.

Department resources

Bushfire and grassfire preparedness procedures and checklists

• Bushfire preparedness procedures for education facilities (PDF) – outline what schools and early childhood services need to do to prepare for bushfires and grassfires
• Pre-season bushfire preparedness for schools (DOCX) – this checklist outlines the activities schools should take prior to the commencement of the high-risk weather season and the extra steps needed to develop a pre-emptive action plan for Category 0 to 2 schools
• Pre-emptive relocation plan template (DOCX) – a template for Category 0 to 2 schools to develop a pre-emptive relocation plan for days of elevated fire danger (High or Extreme FDR)
• Pre-emptive learning from home plan template (DOCX) – a template for Category 0 to 2 schools to develop a pre-emptive learning from home plan for days of elevated fire danger (High or Extreme FDR)
• Pre-emptive closure plan template (DOCX) – a template for Category 0 to 2 schools to develop a pre-emptive closure plan for days of elevated fire danger (High or Extreme FDR)
• Enacting your pre-emptive action plan (relocation, learning from home or closure) checklist (DOCX) – a checklist for Category 0 to 2 schools to enact their pre-emptive action plan (relocation, learning from home or closure) on a day of High or Extreme FDR in their local government area
• Enacting your Catastrophic FDR school closure checklist (DOCX) – a checklist for all BARR and Category 4 schools to support closure on a day of Catastrophic fire danger in their forecast district
• Enacting your Catastrophic FDR service closure checklist (DOCX) – a checklist for all BARR and Category 4 early childhood services to support closure on a day of Catastrophic fire danger in their forecast district

Annual site readiness checklists

Schools and early childhood services can use the site readiness review checklists to help guide their preparations for the start of the bushfire season each year. This can also assist schools on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) to comply with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA)’s Guidelines on bushfire preparedness.

• School bushfire site readiness review checklist (DOCX)
• Early childhood services bushfire site readiness review checklist (DOCX)

Communication templates for schools

• Presentation: Ensuring our school is bushfire ready (PPTX) – a PowerPoint presentation for schools to use in communicating about bushfire preparedness with their school community
• Newsletter article: Communications to parents on fire preparation for category 0, 1 and 2 schools (DOCX) – a template for schools to publish in a newsletter or on their website to communicate their school’s fire risk and preparations
• Newsletter article: Communications to parents on fire preparation for category 3 and 4 schools (DOCX) – a template for schools to publish in a newsletter or on their website to communicate their school’s fire risk and preparations
• Letter – socialise your school’s EMP and Short form – socialise your school’s EMP (DOCX) - sample communications to share key messages regarding your plan and procedures with your school community

Posters for schools

The following posters are designed to be printed by individual schools and children’s services and prominently displayed throughout the school, including all entrances.

• Poster: School will be using pre-emptive action plan (relocation, learning from home or closed) due to elevated fire danger (DOCX) – a template for schools in Categories 0 to 2 to use when activating their pre-emptive action plan
• Poster: School will be closed due to Catastrophic fire danger (DOCX) – a template for schools in Categories 0 to 4 to use when closed due to Catastrophic fire danger in their fire weather district

Letter and notification templates for schools

These letter and notification templates have been developed to assist schools in communicating with their community about their bushfire preparedness arrangements on days of elevated fire danger. Schools can use this text as the basis for a letter on their own school letterhead, for other messages and notifications, or for their website. Schools will need to review and update the text each time it is used to ensure it is relevant.

• Letter template: confirmation of activation of pre-emptive actions (DOCX) – for Category 0 to 2 schools, use this letter to confirm to your school community that your school is activating your relocation, learning from home or closure plan due to elevated fire danger closed due to a Catastrophic FDR day
• Letter template: advice regarding potential school closure on Catastrophic FDR day (DOCX) – use this letter to advise your school community of a potential Catastrophic FDR day in your weather district
• Letter template: cancellation of potential Catastrophic day school closure (DOCX) – use this template only if you have previously sent out the Letter template: advice regarding potential school closure on Catastrophic FDR day. This letter confirms to your school community that a potential Catastrophic FDR day forecast has now been downgraded and that your school will remain open
• Letter template: confirmation of school closure on Catastrophic FDR day (DOCX) – use this letter to confirm to your school community that your school is closed due to a Catastrophic FDR day day in your weather district
• Letter template: cancellation of school bus service for schools that remain open on Catastrophic FDR (DOCX) – use this letter to confirm to your school community that your school is open but your bus service is cancelled due to a Catastrophic FDR day in your weather district
• Letter template: cancellation of off-site activities due to elevated or Catastrophic fire danger day (DOCX) – use this template to confirm to your school community that off-site activities are cancelled due to elevated or Catastrophic FDR
• Letter template: not enacting pre-emptive actions plans (DOCX) – for Category 0-2 use this letter to remind your community that your school’s threshold for pre-emptive action has not yet been triggered. This is useful when the LGA and district FDR ratings are not the same
• Letter template: No action required for Category 5 and 6 schools on Catastrophic FDR day (DOCX) – for schools in Categories 5 and 6, use this to remind your school community that you are not required to close on a Catastrophic FDR day
• Notification and social media template: pre-emptive actions on days of elevated fire danger (DOCX) – use this template to update your community about activation of pre-emptive actions, potential activations, or cancellation due to a change in forecast via your notification app or social media channels

Phone script for schools

Telephone script: pre-emptive action or catastrophic closures (DOCX) – use this script to leave a recorded message on your school main telephone line when enacting pre-emptive action plans or a Catastrophic FDR closure

eLearning modules

All school staff can now enrol in and access an eLearning module which provides a short, accessible introduction to bushfire preparedness. This self-directed online learning module is titled ‘Emergency Management: Bushfire At-Risk Register’ and can be accessed at any time through the eduPay portal (staff login required).

The department has also developed eLearning modules about other key emergency and critical incident management topics including emergency planning, conducting drills, managing risks and more. These can be accessed through LearnEd on the eduPay portal by searching for the keywords ‘Emergency Management’.

Further resources

• AFDRS information sheet (DOCX) – a factsheet with information about the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System which came into effect 1 September 2022
• Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR)
• Schools and early childhood services at risk of grassfire – Category 4
• Bushfire Preparedness (Vegetation) Program factsheet (PDF) – information and guidance on how schools can utilise and acquit Bushfire Preparedness (Vegetation) Program (BPVP) funding
• Vegetation management plan template (DOCX) – a template designed to assist schools with site management

External resources

Country Fire Authority (CFA)

The CFA has a variety of resources and information that can support your school and broader school community:

• Plan and Prepare
• Your Guide to Survival
• Fire Ready Kit
• Resources for Schools at Risk of Fire
• Lesson plans for primary, secondary and EAL schools
• For CFA information in languages other than English in text and audio file formats, refer to: Fire Safety Translations

Other resources

• Bushfire Management Overlay – Department of Transport and Planning
• Guidelines for Bushfire Preparedness – Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority
• VicPlan (Department of Transport and Planning) – a tool that can be used to view, query and create property reports.