Tasmania Fire Service

Places of refuge

This summer, the Tasmania Fire Service will identify a number of places close to areas at risk from bushfires where people may shelter during a bushfire.

Community fire refuges
 
People who have decided to leave early rather than defend their homes when they are threatened by bushfires may plan to visit relatives or friends, or go to the shack, to the beach or the pool, or simply go shopping.

Others, who have not decided where they will go, may choose to temporarily relocate to a community fire refuge. These will be located outside the area directly impacted by a bushfire.

Community fire refuges will usually be public buildings offering basic amenities including temporary shelter, drinking water and toilet facilities. A Tasmania Fire Service representative is likely to be in attendance to keep people informed.

Places identified as community fire refuges will only be available to the public as places of refuge if they have been activated by the Tasmania Fire Service. To see if a community fire refuge has been activated in your area, go to Current bushfires and other incidents and click on the ‘More Info’ icon for the fire you are interested in. Alternatively, listen to ABC Local Radio.

Community fire refuges may be activated in the following locations:

	Beaconsfield	Beaconsfield Community Centre
	Brighton	Brighton Civic Centre
	Deloraine	Deloraine Sporting Complex
	Georgetown	Georgetown Memorial Hall
	Hobart	Derwent Entertainment Centre
	Huonville	Police Citizens & Youth Club
	Kingston	Kingsborough Sports Centre
	Lilydale	Lilydale Community Hall
	Oatlands	Recreation Ground / Oval
	Pyengana	Pyengana Hall
	Riverside	Riverside Hall (West Tamar Council Chambers)
	Rocky Cape	Rocky Cape Tavern
	Scottsdale	Nugget Sellers Sports Complex
	Sorell	Sorell Memorial Hall
	St Helens	Portland Hall
	St Helens	St Helens Sports Complex & Football Club
	St Marys	St Mary's Hall
	St Marys	St Mary's Sports Complex
	Waratah	Community Centre

Once the fire threat has passed, people may return to their homes, or seek alternative housing in the event their homes have been lost.

Neighbourhood safer places

People who are unprepared to defend their homes and have left it too late to relocate to a safe place away from a bushfire may be able to relocate to a neighbourhood safer place if it’s unsafe to stay at home.

The use of neighbourhood safer places in these circumstances is not a safe option – people planning to leave should do so well before a fire threatens. Fleeing a bushfire at the last minute is extremely dangerous, and neighbourhood safer places should only be used as a last resort.

A neighbourhood safer place is likely to be an open area that offers some protection from radiant heat. Nearby recreation grounds, golf courses, school yards, ploughed or green fields, beaches and carparks may be used as neighbourhood safer places. People using these places should shelter in their cars from burning embers, parking as far as possible from flammable vegetation.

Sheltering at a neighbourhood safer place may be uncomfortable, even basic facilities may be unavailable, and firefighters are unlikely to be in attendance. Tasmania Fire Service may identify a number of neighbourhood safer places in consultation with local communities, and make their whereabouts widely known within communities.

However, people in bushfire-prone areas should also identify their own neighbourhood safer places, in case they are caught unawares when a fire breaks out nearby and spreads rapidly.

Once the fire threat has passed, people sheltering at neighbourhood safer places may return to their homes, or seek alternative housing in the event their homes have been lost.