Fire Procedure Clarification
The Fire Danger Index Ratings system that has been adopted nationally.
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RATING
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Recommended Action
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CODE RED (Catastrophic):
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If you live in a bushfire prone area the safest option is to leave the night before, or early in the morning.
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EXTREME:
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The safest option is to leave early in the day if you live in a bushfire prone area and your Bushfire Survival Plan is to leave. Only stay if your home is well prepared, well constructed and you can actively defend it.
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SEVERE:
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The safest option is to leave early in the day if you live in a bushfire prone area and your Bushfire Survival Plan is to leave. Only stay if your home is well prepared and you can actively defend it.
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VERY HIGH:
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If you live in a bushfire prone area and your Bushfire Survival Plan is to leave, the safest option is to leave at the beginning of a day.
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HIGH:
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Check your Bushfire Survival Plan
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LOW–MODERATE:
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Check your Bushfire Survival Plan
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In relation to bushfire prone areas our responsibility clearly lies in two places, to continue to provide reliable and responsive care services to our clients but also to ensure your safety. With both of these in mind, and being cognizant of the vulnerability of many of our clients, I advise the following:
Code Red (Catastrophic)
If the area in which you are to attend work is in a bushfire prone area and rated Code Red then service will be automatically cancelled and, for your safety, you are not to attend your appointment with our client.
If you are unsure as to whether the client’s home you are scheduled to visit is in an area that has been given a Code Red rating then do not attend your appointment until you have either sought clarification from either the Victorian Bushfire Information Hotline on 1800 240 667, the CFA website http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ or, alternatively, your Support Coordinator.
Extreme
If the client you are to visit lives in a bushfire prone area, and the area has been rated Extreme, then essential services will continue to be provided however your Support Coordinator may contact you to advise you of changes to the client’s program for that particular day. If, however, you are at all concerned for your safety, or that of the client, then please contact your Support Coordinator before you attend your appointment and we will make alternative arrangements to address the safety concerns.
For all other Fire Rating Index classifications, including Severe and Very High, services will be provided in bushfire prone areas and you are to attend your appointment unless otherwise advised.
As referred to in the previous letter, it is your responsibility to keep yourself up to date with the current Fire Danger Ratings; both the phone number and website referred to above are good sources of information. Again, I stress that should you be attending an appointment, or on your way to an appointment, when there are fires in the area and the advice from emergency services is to evacuate the area, regardless of the declared Fire Danger rating, you are instructed to immediately do so. At all times your first responsibility is your own safety. If you are in any doubt or experience any concern about your safety then please immediately contact your Support Coordinator on 1300 303 770.
Separately, please note that if you do not work in a bushfire prone area then you will continue to attend client appointments unless otherwise advised by your Support Coordinator
We appreciate that this year’s fire season is presenting a new situation for everyone. We wish to assure you our commitment is to ensure your safety without losing sight of our ongoing commitment to clients.