Emergency and fire safety are key components of a compliant, safe and well managed village.
Be it for Workplace Health and Safety requirements, Retirement Village Act compliance or as part of a development approval condition, every village is required to have an emergency and fire safety plan.
And fires aren’t the only threat a village professional needs to be aware of.
Other emergencies like gas leaks, bomb threats and cyber attacks must also be planned for.
In my experience coming out of winter or early spring is a great time to schedule the review of these plans and any supporting activities.
Things to review:
- Fuel reduction activities such as tree lopping and bush trimming
- Fire warden refresher training
- Continuity plans in the event of there being no access to the village, no phone lines, no electricity or no access to emergency contact records
- Accessibility and visibility, like cutting back of hedges
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans for residents that may require additional assistance from emergency services
- Alternative route maps in case residents cannot leave by their usual route
- Fire equipment and maintenance, including the checking for deterioration of hoses and equipment
- Emergency lighting
- Evacuation procedures
Here are a couple of ideas we’d suggest, as part of your review:
- Consider inviting the local emergency services in to update them on any new process, personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEP), equipment or access arrangements
- Revisit notification systems – notification strategies, door knocking, telephone trees, window signs
- Organise a guest speaker from fire services to refresh all residents on their own personal plans, particularly if in higher bushfire risk areas
- Arrange for warden and volunteer resident refresher training
We’d also recommend engaging in a two-way dialogue with the resident committee, wardens and your team. Even consider developing a resident interest group that may act as a sounding board to be engaged in supporting these activities throughout the year.