EXCLUSIVE: Almost 200 WA schools still waiting on ember screens ahead of bushfire season

EXCLUSIVE: Almost 200 WA schools still waiting on ember screens ahead of bushfire season

23 November 2018

Published by https://www.communitynews.com.au/

AUSTRALIA – With summer just days away, nearly 90 per cent of schools designated as bush fire prone have not had extra preventative measures installed to reduce the risk of a fire spreading inside a school.

In May, WA Education Minister Sue Ellery announced $6.75 million would be invested by the State Government to equip 222 schools with ember screens on evaporative air-conditioners to guard against ember attacks during a bushfire.

The screens were a recommendation of the Keelty report into the Roleystone-Kelmscott fire in 2011 that destroyed 71 homes.

In State Parliament yesterday, Ms Ellery admitted of the 223 school sites identified for the installation of ember screens as part of the 2018–19 program, only 29 sites have had the ember screens installed and 33 sites were in progress.

East Metropolitan MLC Donna Faragher said the work should have been completed or be close to completion.

“These are important preventative measures and the Minister needs to ensure they are completed as soon as possible and prior to the start of the 2019 school year,” she said.

Ms Ellery said it was anticipated that the 2018–19 ember screen program would be completed by the end of January 2019.

“The list of sites is subject to change as detailed on-site inspection may reveal that no or fewer ember screens are required at a site,” she said.

A Department of Education spokeswoman said it worked closely with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services to identify schools that were located in bushfire prone areas.

“DFES updates their register quarterly, so there are now 419 schools in the specified risk areas,” she said.

An above average fire risk remains in place this season for major pockets of WA including the Darling Range, South West and Great Southern, according to the 2018 Southern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook.