Bushfire Preparedness

Menzies Creek Primary School Preparations for the 2026 and 2027 Bushfire Season

Each year, we prepare for bushfires and grassfires to help ensure the safety of our school. As part of preparing our school for the bushfire season, we have:

Updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan.
Completed Shelter in Place compliance works, including the instal of fire shutters.
Removed all wooden staircases within 10 metres of our Shelter in Place and installed replacement staircases.
Removed the tanbark from the playground and had soft fall sand installed.
Undertaken tree removal and pruning along the back fenceline.

Another important part of this process is informing our school community about what will happen on elevated fire danger days.

Our school has been assessed as one of the highest bushfire risk schools – BARR 2. On days of elevated fire danger, BARR 2 schools must take early action to reduce the risk to staff and students.

Our school will:

RELOCATE to Upwey Primary School, in line with our Emergency Management Plan, on days that our local government area, Yarra Ranges, is forecast to have an Extreme Fire Danger Rating.
Upwey Primary School is located at 15 Darling Ave, Upwey.
CLOSE on a day forecast as Catastrophic Fire Danger in Central Weather District.

We will inform you when we are enacting our plan by sending an email to families and posting a notice on Compass. On days when the school has enacted this plan, no staff or students will be on site. This includes for Before and After School Care.

For information on how schools manage bushfire risk, go to: www.vic.gov.au/bushfire-information-parents-and-carers.

Help us prepare

Parents and carers can help us prepare for emergencies by:

making sure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers
keeping up-to-date with our school’s emergency plan by: reading our newsletter, checking Compass and checking your email. You can also speak to Brooke about the Plan too.
making a plan so you are ready if the school does need to relocate or close, including:
the supervision of your child/ren on days the school is closed
making before and after school hours care arrangements
working out how your child will get to Upwey Primary School, which is where we will relocate to on Extreme Fire Danger Rating days for the Yarra Ranges.
making sure your family’s Bushfire Plan is updated. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website (https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/fire-safety/your-fire-plan/make-your-fire-plan/bushfire-plan)
actioning your family’s Bushfire Plan if your own triggers are met. Your family’s safety is critical, so please let us know if you are enacting your bushfire plan and if your child will be absent.
if your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire plan. Information about how to talk to children about bushfires can be found on: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/talking-to-children-about-bushfires..

For information on emergencies, please use:

VicEmergency app (android/ iOS)
VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226)
Website (https://emergency.vic.gov.au)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/vicemergency)
Emergency broadcasters (https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/official-emergency-broadcasters-in-victoria).

We thank you for your continued support of our Emergency Management Plan, especially as we head into the warmer months.

Warm Regards,

Brooke Kogelman

Acting Principal - Menzies Creek Primary School