Brochure alarm

By Tania Martin
MOUNT Evelyn’s Franc Smith has hit out at a Yarra Ranges Council brochure, saying it sends mixed messages about using Neighbourhood Safer Places.
The town’s protection and progress association president has questioned the wording on the safety of NSPs.
The brochure states that “Many houses will provide more effective protection than places of last resort.”
Mr Smith believes this is giving people mixed messages.
“Are they now saying it’s safer to stay home?” he asked.
Mr Smith said it was disappointing to receive the brochure which inferred it was safer to stay home after all the hard work that had gone into the establishing NSPs and township protection plans.
“It’s disappointing after we have worked so hard … it seems like we have wasted a lot of time on this getting places of last resort,” Mr Smith said.
“It (the brochure) is saying to every ratepayer you might as well stay at home,” he said.
But the council has defended the brochure, saying the phrasing was agreed to by the CFA.
Community relations manager James Martin said in many cases an NSP was nothing more than a cleared parcel of land.
“The brochure goes to great lengths to advise people that to assume an NSP is a safe place was fraught with danger, as is late evacuation,” he said.
Dandenong Ranges Community Bushfire Group spokeswoman Melanie Gajdek said that, although the brochure was correct, the only formal designated places in the shire were out in the open.
Ms Gajdek said although it might confuse some, every resident needed to assess their own situation before making their own decisions and keeping in mind open spaces have no protection from smoke or ember attack.
“Ultimately we would like refuges, but NSPs are an interim recommendation by the Royal Commission for the purposes of this fire season as refuges would not have been achievable this season,” she said.
“We have learned the hard way that most houses cannot be defended … it’s disappointing that at the end of 12 months we have no ‘formal NSP buildings’ safer than our houses.”
Ms Gajdek said one of the critical lessons from Black Saturday was that families in houses were very vulnerable, isolated and under-resourced.
“Many people in the Dandenongs have worked tirelessly this year to get places prepared as NSPs as a last resort for those who are caught.”
The CFA has supported the brochure, saying a great deal of work had been done to educate people about NSPs.
CFA Yarra Area spokeswoman Anne Sheedy said NSPs were only a last resort in emergencies when all other plans had failed.
She outlined a number of risks associated with NSPs including that ‘many houses will provide more effective protection’.
Ms Sheedy said NSPs were not an alternative to planning to either leave early or stay and defend.
She said they were not ‘safe’ places during a bushfire and travelling to one could be dangerous.
Ms Sheedy also said there were no guarantees that residents wouldn’t be injured or killed by fire or radiant heat when travelling to, or sheltering at, an NSP.
She said the CFA suggests the safest option was not to be in a bushfire prone area on severe, extreme and code red (catastrophic) fire danger rating days.
“It’s vital that people stay informed about the local weather conditions, recognise high fire risk days and be aware of Fire Danger Ratings,” Ms Sheedy said.
Have you a received a brochure? Have your say about it – email tania.martin@yvnews.com