Communities across the Eurobodalla Shire will soon be allocated a safe haven as a last resort if a devastating bushfire was to occur.
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Locations will be selected and considered during a meeting between the Eurobodalla Shire Council and local Rural Fire Service crews later this month.
More than 1000 properties will be designated as shelters around NSW and will include school and community halls that meet fire standards.
This standard refers to the level of safe radiant heat, which would be no greater than two kilowatts per square metre for outdoor areas and 10 kilowatts per square metre for buildings in the event of a moderate bushfire.
RFS Far South Coast operations officer Russell Clark said the identification of suitable areas would come up for discussion at a special meeting with council’s Local Emergency Management Committee.
“At the meeting in October, these issues will be discussed there and we will come up with the process of identifying those areas,” he said.
“This will be in conjunction with council, the RFS and other interested parties.”
Some communities, including Potato Point, have already identified have plans in place in case of a bushfire emergency, Mr Clark said.
Safe havens in areas like Rosedale and Guerilla Bay, where homes were recently threatened by a bushfire, will be considered during the special meeting.
The designated areas will be published on the RFS website next month for people to include in their emergency management plans.
The havens will be a last resort for people who may have received a late fire notification or had changed their mind from wanting to stay and protect their properties, according to the RFS assistant commissioner Rob Rogers.
The new measures have been prepared in co-operation between the RFS and Victorian fire agencies in light of the practices highlighted by the Bushfires Royal Commission.
A council spokesperson said the safe havens were a bushfire initiative of the RFS and that council would not comment on the matter.