General News
16 August, 2024
Local schools funded ahead of fire season
As the Fire Danger Period nears, 10 local schools have received nearly $250,000 to commence preparations.
Funding from the Victorian School Building Authority’s Bushfire Preparedness Program finances vegetation clearance to mitigate the risk of harm from a bushfire.
The schools that received funding are:
• Bealiba Primary School
$18,085.44
• Carisbrook Primary School
$28,540.46
• Dunolly Primary School
$22,106.63
• Maldon Primary School
$21,652.45
• Maryborough Education
Centre (MEC) $58,778.90
• Natte Yallock Primary School
$19,367.19
• Newstead Primary School
$22,027.71
• Talbot Primary School
$19,651.33
• Tarnagulla Primary School
$19,914.51
• Timor Primary School
$19,362.55
The schools are entitled to yearly funding due to being identified as a facility with a high fire risk and placed on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BAAR).
“It’s absolutely key funding — without that funding we wouldn’t be able to do the work that’s required to ensure that we are providing a safe environment for our school,” Timor Primary School principal Andrew Tatchell said.
“It will be a priority for us in the next few months to come up with a plan and engage with the contractors we need to ensure that the work is done.
“It’s not only for the start of the bushfire season, but it’s also planning for the whole year to ensure that vegetation is kept down.”
Mr Tatchell said preparedness goes further than vegetation reduction, with necessary contin-gency plans needed in case of a potential emergency.
“As a category three school on the BAAR, we are at a medium risk compared to schools that might be in more dense bushlands, which means we have to close or relocate on a day forecast as catastrophic in our fire district,” he said.
“It’s not all about closure, it’s also having a good relocation plan whether that’s off-site to another school, which ours is to MEC, or possibly learning from home.”
Acting principal for fellow category three school Natte Yallock Primary Emily Fithall echoed Mr Tatchell’s comments and said preparations for this year’s Fire Danger Period have already commenced.
“It’s the school’s responsibility to ensure that the school grounds are fire safe, in case fires do come which they have before,” she said.
“We have had a clean-up already and have got a pile of tree branches that needs to get burned off so we will engage with the local fire brigade to get that burnt away.
“It’s a really important program and we work through our emergency management plan every year to make sure that all those systems are in place [so] we are well prepared and know exactly what we need to do.”