samantha in the press - fire preparedness

Hunt for more bushfire safety
Mail Newspapers
by Casey Neill
5 Oct 2010

in the press – bushfire royal commission, refuges

More hope for refuges

Mail Newspapers
by Tania Martin

03 Aug 2010

nsps for the valley

report from the roundtable – feb 23

Council had to consider the formal designation of three more Neighbourhood Safer Places. Officers have been working through the long list of assessments for NSPs and recommended designation of the Halley Supple Reserve in Coldstream, Queens Park in Healesville and the Powelltown Public Hall.

Councillors formally designated the sites, however in the case of the Powelltown Public Hall, it was subject to conditions. The Hall will need additional works in order for it to properly be considered as an NSP. The works are in the order of $25,000 and the Shire is in discussions with the State Government to ensure funding to allow the hall to undergo basic passive fire prevention upgrades to assist in the defence of ember attack.

I hope the state government provides us with the assistance we need, NSPs have been imposed on us and we shouldn’t be the tier of government carrying the can for them.

two more places of last resort for the dandenongs

report from the roundtable – 22 dec

This week’s council meeting, not on the original schedule of meetings, was called to consider Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSPs)/ Places of Last Resort for Yarra Ranges.

Last Friday I spent time with the assessment team looking at five sites across the Dandenong Ranges including the rear of the Olinda shops, Ferny Creek Horticultural Society grounds, Alexander’s Carpark in Belgrave, Belgrave Recreation Reserve and the Upwey Recreation Reserve. The CFA, Victoria Police and the Shire were all represented on the assessment team.

As a result of the assessments undertaken on those site visits two sites were referred to council for consideration to be designated as NSPs. I moved the motion to support the two sites. Council unanimously supported both the Belgrave and Upwey Recreation Reserves as designated NSPs.

I still continue to be concerned about community perceptions about NSPs, in many cases they are figuring as part of people’s fire plans and not being seen as a last ditch effort to survive when all else has failed.

There has been some conjecture out in the community that council can oppose the designation of NSPs based on ideological grounds, however the legislation is quite clear and states that councils ‘must’ identify and designate NSPs. The Act goes on to say that council is not required to designate an NSP if the council is satisfied on ‘reasonable grounds’ that it is not appropriate to designate.

There is a degree of ambiguity about what the definition of ‘reasonable grounds’ is, so I went on to move a further motion to assist council to better understand our obligations under the new legislation.

“That council seeks legal opinion on the definition of reasonable grounds as referred to in Section 50G, clause 7 (b) of the Emergency Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2009.”

It is important that we understand the full implications of the Act, much of the logistics and policy on the implementation of NSPs has been done on the run, it is time to gain a more informed insight into the Act.

As a councillor in the Dandenong Ranges I think it is important that we use our best efforts as a council to identify NSPs, but it is also important that the community and visitors understand that these are places of last resort. They offer no guarantee of safety or survival, they are places of last resort where you might have a better chance of protection from radiant heat, when all else has failed.

royal commission, coming up 14th dec

On Monday I will speaking at the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission about the process around the establishment of Neighbourhood Safer Places in the Shire of Yarra Ranges and Township Protection Plans for the Dandenongs.

I look forward to speaking to the commission from the perspective of not only a Yarra Ranges councillor but as a resident of the Dandenong Ranges too.

place of last resort – a better name for an unsafe place

report from the roundtable – 8 dec

At this week’s council meeting I moved the following motion:
"That council write to the Premier of Victoria, the Hon John Brumby MP, with a copy to local MPs, requesting that the name of Neighbourhood Safer Places be changed to Places of Last Resort."

I continue to be very concerned that many in our community consider Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSPs) to be a safe place. In conversation and bushfire community meetings it is clear to me that NSPs are being given far too much consideration as a place to go in the event of a bushfire in the Dandenongs. I have heard people refer to NSPs as "safe places", "safe havens" and "refuges", people are considering them as part of their fire plan.

The Multi Agency community bushfire briefing in Upwey last week.

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I believe many of these perceptions occur because of the name of NSPs and that’s why I moved a motion to advocate to change the name so it is abundantly clear that these places are Places of Last Resort.

The message isn’t getting out there, the last place you want to be in the case of a fire is in a car trying to seek shelter at an NSP. The road is a scary place in a bushfire, smoky with decreased vision, noisy, windy, people panicking, it is not a place I’d want to be under those conditions.

It is my view that you are far safer in your home than on the road seeking some sort of shelter in an open field. The CFA’s message is clear, leave early, not only on catastrophic code red days but on all total fire ban days. Only those who are well prepared should stay and defend.

The focus on NSPs has diminished the CFA’s message of leave early with some in our community considering NSPs as their fall back position. The last place I’d want to be in the event of a bushfire is heading to an NSP. I do understand that we have many visitors to the hills and perhaps NSPs have a role to play for these people, but there needs to be a really strong message that these are Places of Last Resort.

An NSP does not guarantee safety, they do not cater for animals, there is no guarantee that emergency services will be there to protect you, they do not provide for specialist needs such as infants, the elderly, the ill or disabled and in the case of open spaces they do not provide shelter from ember attack.

We should be calling these places for what they are, there is nothing safe or safer about them, they are Places of Last Resort and there is no guarantee you will survive using one.

Councillors unanimously supported the motion for a name change to Places of Last Resort.

neighbourhood safer places, two designated

report from the roundtable – 8 dec

At this week’s council meeting we had to consider two sites identified as potential Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSPs) as well as the Neighbourhood Safer Places Plan (NSPP - see

blog for background).

Work on our NSPP has been extensive, with our Emergency and Safety Planning area working hard to ensure the plan reflects the Yarra Ranges context. Since my last blog entry much has happened to ensure Yarra Ranges is in a position to consider designation of NSPs. The officers have done a phenomenal amount of work to not only get a NSPP in place, but to create an audit and assessment tool, organise additional site assessments and report back the results to council from one council meeting to the next.

The NSPP will assist council to identify, designate, establish, maintain and decommission an NSP. I joined with Shire and Emergency Services personnel in the site assessments at both Morrison’s Reserve in Mt Evelyn and Monbulk Reserve.

Both these locations passed not only the first assessment by the CFA, which only concentrates only on radiant heat or distance from vegetation, but also ticked the box on rights of access, ownership, access and egress, availability 24/7, defendable space, ability to appropriately sign and separation of vehicles from the actual NSP area (for example: the footy oval’s boundary fence).

At the meeting Council endorsed the two places, Morrison’s Reserve in Mt Evelyn and the Monbulk Reserve (footy ground) to become designated NSPs.

In speaking for the motion I pointed out to councillors that Yarra Ranges were the second council only to consider designating NSPs, an outstanding effort. I also talked about the community expectation around NSPs being available this summer. I reminded councillors that the legislation was very specific and councils must use their ‘best endeavours’ to identify and designate NSPs.

I talked about signage issues, at the time of the council meeting (and writing this blog entry) guidelines on NSP signage are still not available via the OESC. I also raised the issue of insurance gaps that still exist relating to potential NSPs not on council land.

Most importantly I spoke about the ongoing commitment for council to continue assessing potential sites as NSPs for the upcoming fire season.

I’m pleased to report that council resolved to designate the two NSPs and endorsed the NSPP as well. Council also resolved to seek urgent resolution of the outstanding insurance issues by writing to the MAV.

It is a good start in providing a place of last resort for community members. I still have grave concerns about the perception of NSPs, but you can read more about that in this blog entry.

indemnity for nsp’s - a state responsibility

report from the roundtable – 24 nov

I was appalled to learn of the need for a development of a Neighbourhood Safer Places Plan (NSPP) at this eleventh hour in the lead up to fire season (see blog). I was even more aghast to learn that the “Amending Act” the state government introduced to parliament this week would mean that liability for Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSP) would fall to local government once enacted.

I moved the following motion in response to the issue:

“That Council write to The Premier, the Honourable John Brumby MP, and The Treasurer, the Honourable John Lenders MP, with copies to our local MPs, requesting that the State Government provide ongoing indemnity to protect Local Government against any liability it may incur in relation to the use of a Designated Neighbourhood Safer Place by any individual when sheltering from bushfire.”

The liability for NSPs goes well beyond the scope of local government. When we think of a bushfire event it is a state emergency, not only the domain of local government. This liability has been imposed on local government without any consultation.

I have serious concerns about the term Neighbourhood Safer Places, they should be called Places of Last Resort which far more adequately reflects what they are. NSPs are places to go to when all else fails, when you fire plan is no longer effective, there is no guarantee you will survive, in fact you may well perish. Places of Last Resort is a term that far more adequately reflects the purpose of these sites.

Many in the community are regarding NSPs as a ‘fire refuge’, they should not have the word ‘safer’ within their title, it implies something that just isn’t so.

I think if we a genuinely serious about protecting life in the longer term we should be building purpose built facilities to protect our communities. NSPs do not fit the bill.

The onerous responsibility of liability is stark and the amending bill proposes where an NSP is on non council land, any liability for death or injury arising out of its use as an NSP during an actual or threatened bushfire, transfers instead to the relevant municipal council, the owner/occupier wont be liable but the council will be. Council will be liable for any death or injury of a person using an NSP as a shelter from bushfire too.

This is the worst form of cost shifting from state government to local government. This goes way beyond what any municipality should be responsible for. I hope that other municipalities who are at fire risk join with Yarra Ranges to urge the state government to rightfully take on liabilities for NSPs. It is a disgraceful turn of events.

I am pleased to say that the motion was supported unanimously.

neighbourhood safer places

report from the roundtable – 24 nov

I felt compelled to address the issue of establishing Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSP) after a presentation by the Dandenong Ranges Community Bushfire Group where it was said that the identification of NSPs was ‘not happening’.

I assured the public in the gallery that the shire has been working very hard on this issue (to date 63 sites have been forwarded to the CFA for assessment). I explained that as late as the 13th November at 6:08pm (so realistically it may as well be Monday morning, the 16th Nov) council was informed that we now need to develop a Neighbourhood Safer Place Plan (NSPP) as part of the process. In a time where our emergency personnel have been working tirelessly we now find there is even more work for them to do.

It has been imposed on us by state government at a time when we are in the full swing of bushfire preparedness. Not only does council have to prepare a NSPP, it must be endorsed by council, then accepted by the Treasurer BEFORE we can start to nominate NSPs. It also holds up the endorsement of our Municipal Emergency Management Plan which needs to incorporate locations of NSPs. The development of the plan and sign off by the Treasurer will ensure that council receives indemnity from the state government should there be a death or injury of a person using an NSP as a shelter from bushfire or if there is a failure by council to designate a place as a NSP.

The timelines to the fire danger period are looming closer and closer and we find ourselves dealing with yet more bureaucracy around NSPs. I have no doubt that the Dandenong Ranges are the hottest of bushfire hotspots in the state and always have been. I have great faith in our staff and their commitment to seeing an NSPP delivered but am appalled by the lateness of this information. We have much to contend with and this timing is atrocious.

olinda community house - a neighbourhood safe place?

report from the roundtable - 25 Aug

At this week's council meeting I seconded a motion to support the work of the Olinda community to prepare the Olinda Community House and the parking area as a Neighbourhood Safe Place (NSP). Council agreed to refer the Olinda Community House for urgent assessment by the CFA as a NSP and also to seek the State's urgent assessment and identification of other suitable areas in the Shire as NSPs.

It is important to remember that NSPs are a PLACE OF LAST RESORT. We must make sure that the community understands that NSPs are last on the list of options in your fire plan, it is definitely not the first option. It is easy to get caught out by bushfire, my own experiences earlier this year with the Birdsland fire just over the hill from my own property was a telling example of just how easy it is to be caught by surprise.

I hope by referring the Olinda Community House to the CFA as a NSP will provide further urgency for the CFA to start developing criteria about what constitutes a NSP. I also hope that once the CFA start developing Township Protection Plans that ALL townships, no matter how big or small, are included as part of the Dandenong Ranges. With a population of some 40,000 people in the Dandenongs it is important that every town has a Township Protection Plan.