Refuge blow

By Tania Martin
SHERBROOKE Community School has slammed the State Government’s for excluding it from its fire refuge upgrade plan.
Principal Bob Shepherd has been left scratching his head after his school was not included in the upgrades.
This comes as the State Government announced 18 hills schools would receive fire refuge upgrades which includes chopping down a number of trees in the region.
Schools earmarked for upgrades include Belgrave South, Birmingham, Cockatoo, Emerald, Ferny Creek, Kallista, Macclesfield, Menzies Creek, Monbulk, Mount Dandenong, Mt Evelyn, Olinda, Sassafras, Selby, Tecoma, The Patch, and Upwey South primary schools.
Emerald College has also been named on the list.
Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike said the move followed the Royal Commission interim report which recommended the need to upgrade fire refuges for schools in high-fire risk areas.
Ms Pike said fire-risk engineering experts had recommended that in order to make refuges safer and comply with building standards, a clear perimeter must be created around them.
This includes cutting down a number of trees near the refuges and any vegetation that may be a fire risk.
“The task for all levels of government, for communities and for individuals is to make the state and individuals as fire-safe as possible,” Ms Pike said.
“The bushfire season is just 42 days away and the safety of students and staff in our schools is paramount.
Mr Shepherd has called on the Education Department to explain why Sherbrooke Community School had been excluded but is still waiting for an answer.
Mr Shepherd said parents had also questioned why the school wasn’t included.