Police investigate fires on Far South Coast

Extremely dry conditions have seen grass fires erupt across the Valley over a number of weeks. However a cluster of fires in the Nethercote and Lochiel areas have come under suspicion and now police are carrying out further investigations.

The areas concerned are often close to fire trails, many of which are not easily accessible by larger vehicles, but can be reached by motor bikes or trail bikes.

With the heat and current dry conditions there are fears that any fire could rapidly escalate and place the community in serious danger.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, September 19, emergency services rushed to Eden's Aslings Beach after a fire started, throwing up flames and thick dark plumes of smoke.

It was just after the fire danger rating had been increased to catastrophic, the highest level, following increased winds.

Many schools in the area were closed on Tuesday under instructions from the Department of Education. The department said facilities that had been assessed at an increased risk were identified on a bushfire register.

There were 12 public schools closed in the Bega Valley as well as Lumen Christi and Sapphire Coast Anglican College, Bega.

There had been some concern over the timing of the closure announcements particularly for parents who worked. Communications to parents took place around 6pm.

The Department of Education said on its website that facilities on a bushfire register would "have alternative arrangements in place if a catastrophic fire danger rating is issued for their location".

When the information was sent out to inform schools of the closures, the fire danger rating was at extreme rather than catastrophic although it was upgraded around midday.

At Pambula Public School parents had been warned to expect possible school closures in a letter sent out in in early September. Pambula mum Kate Liston-Mills said parents had been contacted by phone and email about the closure.

Principal at Lumen Christ Shane Giles said the decision to close was taken by the director of Catholic Education, Canberra and Goulburn.

"We are a little bit in uncharted waters here but the decisions are being made with the safety of students and staff in mind," Mr Giles said.

"It's so dry here and with the wind picking up, I think it's being looked at on a case by case basis," he said.

In the case of Catholic schools, the NSW Department of Education obtains information from the relevant fire and weather authories which then passed to Catholic Schools NSW and on to the diocese.

The director of Catholic Education told Lumen Christi of the extreme risk and advised the school to close for the day.

NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar said the department did not make decisions to temporarily close schools lightly and it was always done with the safety and wellbeing of staff and students uppermost.

"For many of our staff and students the memories and trauma of the 2019-2020 bushfires remain. We want to minimise any impact on them by taking proactive action to ensure they know their safety is our priority," Mr Dizdar said.

"We work closely with the NSW Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Operations Centre. When the fire danger rating exceeds pre-agreed thresholds developed in consultation with the NSW RFS, we direct schools to temporarily close.

Mr Dizdar said to minimise any impact on their education, students were provided with learning from home resources when their school is temporarily closed.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Department of Education completed a review of school bushfire risk ratings in 2022 which coincided with the introduction of the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System.

The department said the updated risk ratings for schools accurately reflect the risk profile of the school to bush and grass fire, taking into consideration landscape scale factors such as distance to vegetation, bushfire behaviour, impact of catastrophic bushfire behaviour, as well as situational factors such as access/egress, isolation from emergency services and evacuation.

As part of this, the department also worked with RFS NSW and subject matter experts in the field (who undertook the school risk assessments) to establish thresholds for proactively closing schools based on the District Fire Behaviour Index being greater than 75.

The BOM forecast for Tuesday 19 September noted a Far South Coast District Fire Behaviour Index of 82 and District rating of Extreme, noting that RFS NSW indicate that at a Fire Danger Rating of Extreme or above, fires are likely to be uncontrollable, the department said.

"Schools were notified yesterday at 4.15pm," the department said.

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