Kristen Derbyshire

 

Dear colleagues, 

As we move into our warmer months, we are already seeing bushfires across Tasmania and New South Wales. In the last few weeks, an out-of-control bushfire at Coles Bay forced people to seek safety in evacuation centres, and a total fire ban was announced in New South Wales, with both Catastrophic and Extreme Fire Dangers warnings issued.  

Many parts of the country have had a dry winter and are preparing for a dry summer, which will increase the risk of bushfires and their ability to move quickly. It is important that we remain vigilant and are as prepared as we can be for these events. 
 

Plan and prepare 

Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your family members during this season is the highest priority. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Fire Danger Rating System and TasALERT websites are useful resources for weather updates and warnings. 

It may also be beneficial for you to set up a bushfire plan for how you will prepare your home for a bushfire, and what you will do if a bushfire is approaching. The Tasmanian Fire Service (TFS) has set up a plan you can complete in five minutes. For further information on bushfire preparedness see the Tasmania and New South Wales state services websites. 
 

What we’re doing at our campuses and sites 

Ensuring the safety of our staff and students is our highest priority. The University has already undertaken a number of activities to ensure we are prepared for bushfires, including: 

• Ongoing maintenance of our bushland areas, grounds and buildings: We work with the TFS throughout the year to facilitate controlled burn-offs within our bushland to mitigate risk; we also regularly maintain our grounds and buildings to ensure any potential fuel sources are removed. 
• Bushfire-warden training: Our bushfire-specific wardens in the Campus Accommodation teams, John Fisher and Christ College have undertaken refresher training, including a walk-through of the bushfire the evacuation routes.
• Fire drills: Throughout the year a number of fire drills are conducted across our campuses and sites. The University’s Crisis Management and Recovery Team (CMRT) will conduct a full CMRT drill to ensure the University is well prepared for a major fire event in the South. 
• Emergency plans for bushfire prone areas: A specific Bushfire Emergency Plan has been developed with Campus Accommodation for the residents at College Road. 

The University’s Emergency Control Organisation monitors weather events and other warnings via BOM and TasALERT. If there is a severe weather warning, or if the risk of bushfire presents a threat to our campuses and sites, we will use SafeZone to notify staff and students via email and text message. For further information, please refer to the University’s Emergency Management webpage. 
 

Safety precautions for activities outside of University sites 

It’s important to be aware that University activities – particularly field trips – could also be impacted by higher fire ratings or by bushfires. It is strongly recommended that you monitor the BOM and the Fire Danger Rating System when planning for and during field trips.  
 

Fires and conditions can develop and change rapidly, so please ensure that when travelling in the field and/or at isolated/remote locations, you and your group are equipped with suitable devices that allow effective two-way communications in all areas in which you are operating (e.g., mobile or satellite phones that are charged and turned on). When planning a field trip in a bushfire-prone area, check the forecast: 

• If the fire danger rating is ‘high’, please be on alert. 
• If the fire danger rating is ‘extreme’ or ‘catastrophic’, then any planned field trips in bushfire-prone areas should be reviewed.  

Safety is paramount, so cancellation of the field trip should be considered if there is any risk to safety. 
 

Contacts and support 

If you have queries regarding Emergency Management, please contact Neil Chappell (Manager, Operational Resilience) or Alan Mason (Senior Compliance and Risk Officer) in our Facilities Management team. If you are seeking advice on preparing a risk assessment, please contact Safety and Wellbeing. 

The risk of extreme weather events can cause distress for some people, particularly for those who may have been previously impacted by such events. As always, should you feel that confidential counselling and support would be of benefit, please contact the University Employee Assistance Provider via 1300 344 134 or visit the intranet to book an appointment online. 

I strongly encourage you to take the time to ensure you are informed, prepared and have plans in place for events such as these. Please take care and look out for each other.  

Warm regards, 

Kristen Derbyshire