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ES Paper - Review of Emergency evacuation provisions
Attached to the e-mail PM Submission - Keith Calvert - The Oasis Body Corporate - MCU21/0110.
The Oasis Noosa Springs Body Corporate Review of Emergency Evacuation provisions
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Page 2
The Oasis Noosa Springs Body Corporate - Emergency response concerns
1.0 Objectives
Our objectives in raising our concerns are as follows:
We have noted that a lack of preparedness has been cited as contributing to the scale and
impact of some recent bushfires. We want to be prepared for any emergency bushfire situation
and to be able to communicate the relevant emergency plans to our Owners within The Oasis.
We would like a constructive dialogue with Noosa Council (as part of Council’s primary
responsibility to coordinate and manage disasters and emergency events in the region) and
with the relevant Emergency Services, to establish an agreed robust, practical and executable
Emergency Response and Evacuation plan for The Oasis.
We would like agreement that a regular (annual) review is undertaken with the Council and/or
the Emergency Services to ensure that the plan accommodates any changing circumstances
within the area.
Our concerns are based on the information contained in the New Noosa Plan 2019 - Bushfire
Hazard Overlay Map, and the recent bushfires in the area. We note that the level of bushfire
hazards information shown needs to be confirmed by specific bushfire hazard assessments.
2.0 Background
The area of Noosa Springs comprises ten (10) discrete “precincts”, including the new development
‘Parkridge’, and our precinct ‘The Oasis’. As the Body Corporate Committee, we represent the
Owners of properties within The Oasis which is a small residential development of 27 lots in the
middle of Noosa Springs golf course.
Elysium The Cascades
The The
Woods Point
The Oasis
The Ridge
NS Spa &
golf resort
Parkridge
The Palms
The Fairways
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The Oasis Noosa Springs Body Corporate - Emergency response concerns
Recently we had been preparing our Emergency Assembly instructions within the estate for our
Owners. However, the recent bushfires in the area have focussed our minds on the issues
associated with a much broader Emergency Response and Evacuation event and what plans we
should put into place for when such an emergency arises.
This focus has drawn our attention to the following issues;
1. The potential bushfire risks in and around The Oasis.
2. The evacuation route from The Oasis, for residents, visitors and emergency services;
3. The population and the number of associated vehicles within Parkridge, The Fairways, the
spa and golf resort, and The Oasis.
4. The potential interaction and conflict with other Noosa Springs precincts during evacuation
events.
5. How Emergency Services alert residents to their arrival and the existence of an emergency.
6. The need to evacuate before Emergency Services arrive.
This paper focuses primarily on the issues and risks to residents and visitors from The Oasis,
It refers to the eastern and western precincts of Noosa Springs - for the avoidance of doubt these
comprise:
Eastern Precincts
The Oasis;
The Fairways;
Park Ridge;
Noosa Springs Spa & Golf Resort.
Western precincts
The Cascades;
The Woods;
The Point;
The Ridge;
The Palms, and
Elysium.
Our only consideration of other precincts within the Noosa Springs area has been the possible
conflict that may arise when significant numbers of vehicles are evacuating in the same timeframe.
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The Oasis Noosa Springs Body Corporate - Emergency response concerns
3.0 Bushfire hazards – overview
The map below is copied from the Noosa Plan 2019 – Natural Hazard Overlay and shows the
Potential Bushfire Intensity zones in the general Noosa Springs area and the surrounding areas.
High Potential Bushfire Intensity Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity Potential Impact Buffer
The Oasis (circled in red above) is fairly centrally located within this region, surrounded by the
fairways of the Noosa Springs golf course.
The Oasis is the smallest of the Noosa Springs precincts, consisting of 27 Lots – 17 houses have
been built and are occupied, four are in the process of being built and will be finished within the
next 6 months, and 4 remain to be built.
The Oasis is surrounded by areas of varying Potential Bushfire Intensity, and a Bushfire Impact
Buffer affects much of The Oasis (circled in red above).
Our concerns are focussed on the immediate risks to The Oasis, the available evacuation routes
for Oasis residents and visitors and the potential conflicts with other evacuating precincts.
The argument that residents will be given enough time to evacuate in an orderly and safe manner
and therefore nothing needs to be done is a very dangerous assumption. The recent bushfire in
the vicinity of The Fairways in Resort Drive occurred in the middle of the night without any
warning to sleeping residents.
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The Oasis Noosa Springs Body Corporate - Emergency response concerns
4.0 Potential bushfire risks in and around The Oasis.
4.1 Bushfire Impact Zones
The map below shows the various bushfire zones in relation to The Oasis.
12 Lots are included in the Potential Impact Buffer zone. Of those 12 Lots, 11 are built on, or
are in the process of being built on.
In the absence of any explanation of what the Potential Impact Buffer zone is, it is assumed
that it indicates potential exposure to smoke, burning embers and vegetation.
Q: Parts of The Oasis are included in the Potential Impact Buffer zone – what might be expected to
happen within the zone, and what does this mean for those residences?
The only evacuation route for The Oasis is Oasis Drive, which is included in the Potential Impact
Buffer zone, and in High and Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity zones at a point where traffic
is likely to be stopped before entering the roundabout on Links Drive.
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The Oasis Noosa Springs Body Corporate - Emergency response concerns
4.2 Additional hazards
There are two additional potential hazards, local to The Oasis precinct, which could impede any
evacuation from The Oasis, or could increase the risk of bushfire impact on the community.
These hazards are:
a. Origin LPG storage tanks;
b. Noosa Golf waste vegetation pile.
The location of these potential hazards, in relation to Oasis Drive and the Potential Bushfire
Intensity zones, is shown in the two maps below.
Noosa Golf waste vegetation Origin LPG storage tanks
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4.2.a Origin LPG storage tanks
Origin have sited two LPG tanks on Noosa Springs Golf Course land close to the north west
corner of the Oasis Drive/Links Drive/Resort Drive roundabout. The tanks are adjacent to the
northern side of Oasis Drive, and are surrounded by trees and a wooden fence, and there is a
significant number of trees, shrubs and dry vegetation in the area.
This location is in a High Potential Bushfire Intensity zone, which stretches across the entrance
of Oasis Drive. There is an adjoining Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity zone which also
straddles Oasis Drive.
Whilst we have been assured by Noosa Springs Resort management that the area around the
tank is monitored on a regular basis and kept clear of unnecessary vegetation, it is shown in in
an area of High Potential Bushfire Intensity.
Our concern is if the tanks are subjected to intense bushfire exposure and anything goes wrong
it may prevent residents and visitors leaving The Oasis and, at worst, could injure or kill
someone.
Q: What are the regulations associated with the storage of such hazardous materials.
Q: What can be done to reduce the risk associated with these tanks?
4.2.b Noosa Springs Golf Course waste vegetation
A considerable amount of cut vegetation is periodically stored by the golf course at the western
end of their compound to the south of Oasis Drive. It is contained at its north side by a wooden
fence that runs parallel to Oasis Drive.
The waste pile is in a Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity zone, with an adjacent High Potential
Bushfire zone. On the side facing Oasis Drive, it is retained by a timber fence.
The original Negotiated Decision Notice that was issued in 2008 for the original Oasis
development of 27 lots had the following condition:
“Cleared vegetation is to be suitably processed by one of the following methods and
removed from the site:
Processing through a woodchipper or shredder. The resulting mulch is to be
stockpiled loose in heaps of less than 1000 cubic metres, less than 2.5 metres
high with a minimum of 10 metres between edges of heaps.”
As far as we are aware, the waste vegetation is only mulched when there is no more room, or
there is a need for mulch on the golf course.
We are aware of instances of spontaneous combustion occurring in large waste vegetation
piles, and the possibility of a fire being initiated in the pile by stray embers from a local bushfire
or backburn are both issues of concern. Should the waste pile be ignited, the use of Oasis Drive,
as the only vehicular route to leave the Oasis, may be compromised.
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Q: Are there regulations specifying the requirements for storage of waste vegetation?
Q: Are there limits on the volume of waste that can be stored?
Q: What can be done to minimise the risk associated with this waste vegetation pile?
5.0 Evacuation Routes
The only vehicular evacuation route for Oasis residents and visitors is along Oasis Drive to the Links
Drive roundabout and then along Links Drive to the roundabout with Noosa Springs Drive.
High Potential Bushfire Intensity Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity Potential Impact Buffer
5.1 Oasis Drive
A section of Oasis Drive, either side of the entry/exit gates is shown in a Medium Potential
Bushfire Intensity zone, and the next section, approaching the roundabout, is a High Potential
Bushfire Intensity zone.
There is a central road reserve along most of Oasis Drive which would prevent the passing of
any obstacle.
Q: What can be done to reduce the risks, and ensure safe evacuation if this area is alight?
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5.2 Links Drive
Most of Links Drive (from Oasis Drive to the Noosa Springs Drive roundabout (approximately
0.5 kms) is in a High Potential Bushfire Intensity Zone.
There is a considerable fuel load evident along this road, especially on the eastern side.
The road consists of two separate single lanes (one in each direction) with no opportunity to
overtake. Switching to the other lane is not considered viable because of the vegetation in the
central road reserve and the likelihood that Emergency Services will be using that side of the
road to access the emergency locations.
Q: How will council deal with the extensive fuel load beside the road to reduce the risk of not being
able to use this road for evacuation in the case of fire?
Q; What will be the alternate evacuation route in this situation?
Q: Can Council undertake a Fire Ecology assessment at their cost to confirm the bushfire potentials?
5.3 Evacuation routes from the Noosa Springs Drive roundabout
From the Links Drive/Noosa Springs Drive roundabout there appear to be three alternative
evacuation routes:
the bridge over Eenie Creek Road, along Noosa Springs Drive to Leslie Drive,
west along Noosa Springs Drive to the locked gates allowing access to Eenie Creek Road.
east along Wallum Road and the proposed “red route” to the sports complex.
High Potential Bushfire Intensity Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity Potential Impact Buffer
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5.3.a Noosa Springs Drive bridge over Eenie Creek Road
Noosa Springs Drive is a 2-way road which is bounded by trees and vegetation on both sides of
the road. There are two zones of High Potential Bushfire Intensity, one zone of Medium
Potential Bushfire Intensity and the remainder is in a Potential Impact Buffer zone.
The southbound side of Noosa Springs Drive, from the Leslie Drive roundabout, will be used by
Emergency Services vehicles going to the emergency. The cycle lanes will provide a limited
ability to avoid obstacles.
5.3.b West along Noosa Springs Drive
This section of Noosa Springs Drive is a 2-way road with no central reservation. This evacuation
route is entirely within a Potential Bushfire Buffer zone, except for a short zone of Medium
Potential Bushfire Intensity.
Access to Eenie Creek Road is achieved by driving off Noosa Springs Road onto the cycle
pathway approximately 275m from the roundabout and passing through two normally locked
gates, onto Eenie Creek Road.
It is noted that this set of gates is the first access point to Eenie Creek Road for vehicles from
the western precincts in the Noosa Springs area.
If Eenie Creek Road is still open to traffic, there may be some difficulty in evacuating traffic
merging onto Eenie Creek Road as there is no layby or parking area that could be used to assist
merging at that location.
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5.3.c East along Wallum Road and the “red route” to the sports complex.
This is the map provided recently by Council.
This evacuation route appears to be used in situations where the locked gates along Noosa
Springs Drive are no longer available as an access point. Obviously, the selection of the
appropriate evacuation route is heavily dependent on where the fire is, and where it is headed,
and any changes in those conditions. Restricting the available evacuation routes would appear
to increase the risks to those who are trying to evacuate.
Q: Why is the access to Eenie Creek Road from Noosa Springs Drive apparently not going to be used
once the “Red route” has been established?
This evacuation route is bordered by trees and vegetation along its entire length (approx. 1.1
kms). It is bordered by some High Potential Bushfire Intensity zones, goes through a section of
Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity zone and the rest is located within a Potential Impact
Buffer zone.
The surfaces of the route vary from concrete and bitumen track to grassed areas, rough land
and gravelly tracks.
At the Sports Complex there is a locked gate.
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The evacuation route has some features that could prove to be confusing to people under
evacuation conditions, as the route is not straight and not necessarily obvious.
i. At the bend in Wallum Lane, the route goes along Rotary Way towards the Men’s Shed.
However, there is also a cycleway to the left of Rotary Way, which may cause confusion.
This cycle way appears to be passable by vehicles, but there are several places where the
cycleway narrows (to go over culverts) and it is unlikely that vehicles could pass safely.
Evacuation track at entry gate to Men’s Shed
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ii. The helicopter operations area is a restricted area. The route turns left into this area, then
turns right and right again to cross a rough piece of land that has recently been mowed. This
leads back to the original alignment of the track. The route through the helicopter
operations area could lead to confusion in an emergency.
entry to helicopter operations area
Entry to helicopter operations area
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Helicopter operations area – helicopter storage to right – rough track ahead
Q: The tracks before and after the helicopter operations area are on the same alignment and this is
shown in Google maps. Can the original arrangement of track be re-established so that the track is
straighter and no transit through the helicopter operations area is required?
Final section of track – sports
Rough track complex straight ahead
iii. The track to the Criterium Circuit at the Sports Complex is then loose gravel and is not very
wide although the vegetation bordering the track has recently been cut back.
iv. There is a locked gate that enables access to the Sports Complex carpark and thence to the
roundabout.
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The roads headed north and east from the Sports Complex roundabout are all subject to
Potential Bushfire Intensity and Impact Buffer zones.
Q: How will these evacuation route options be managed during an evacuation event?
Q: Which organisation decides which evacuation route(s) will be used?
Q: How will that decision be policed?
Q: Who is responsible for opening the locked gates on these evacuation routes?
- Gates to Eenie Creek Road from Noosa Springs Drive;
- Gate at Sports Complex.
Q: What are the Council going to do to improve the “Red route” and when will it be suitable for
ordinary vehicles to use?
Q: What has Council planned to reduce the bushfire risks along the “Red route”?
We are concerned that if Oasis residents need to evacuate, the evacuation is very reliant on
Emergency Services having prior knowledge of a fire and being able to provide residents with
ample warning and advise on the evacuation routes available.
What if, as has been the case with recent fires in the area, enough prior warning is not possible,
and it has not been possible to make access available to the locked proposed escape routes?
Q: How will residents be able to evacuate in advance of Emergency Services arrival, such as nearly
happened in the Resort Drive fire?
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6.0 Conflict with evacuations from other precincts
If the eastern precincts in Noosa Springs must be evacuated, we estimate that there may be as
many as 250 vehicles evacuating from Parkridge, plus 40+ from The Fairways and 200+ from
the golf and spa complex. These will meet the 35+ coming from The Oasis at the Oasis
Drive/Links Drive roundabout. (Note: These figures assume one vehicle per residence).
With anything up to 500 vehicles trying to evacuate, the potential for any of the single lane
evacuation routes to be blocked as a result of mechanical and/or human failure in evacuation
conditions needs to be assessed and provision made for its occurrence.
The possibility that the western precincts in Noosa Springs may need to be evacuated at the
same needs to be assessed. Our estimates indicate that there may be as many as 450 vehicles
evacuating from Noosa Springs and Elysium.
This raises the issue of how such an evacuation will be managed to ensure everyone is able to
evacuate in an orderly and timely manner. The method of evacuation needs to consider:
The number of people who may need to be evacuated;
The number of vehicles involved in that evacuation, and
The risks associated with that evacuation.
The table below lists the ten precincts, together with the numbers of residences, carparks,
residents and other users, and an estimate of the number of vehicles likely to be mobilised in
an evacuation event.
This information is broadly correct, although there may be more up to date information than
we have been able to access. Regardless, the data is indicative of the scale of the issue in
relation to the number of people who might be affected, and the number of vehicles that might
be mobilised in the event of evacuation.
It is conservative to assume that residents in one unit will leave in one car, whereas visitors,
especially for the spa and golf resort, may leave with one person per vehicle.
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PRECINCT RESIDENTI CARPARKS PEOPLE EVACUATION
AL UNITS VEHICLES
Eastern Noosa Springs Precincts
The Oasis 27 54 + 14 ~60 (including 27 + 14
children)
Parkridge Precinct F 154 268 421 154
**
- Visitors 50 50 - ~200 50
- Staff 6 6 6
** from Altum Masterplan 14/12/2015
Parkridge Precinct 29 52 60 + 29
E2
- Visitors 11 11
The Fairways 42 42 - 168 42
NS Clubhouse & spa 0 207 200 + 200 +
+ 3 disabled
Golfers, spa & restaurant users and staff.
TOTAL VEHICLES 491
Western Noosa Springs Precincts
Noosa Springs
- The Cascades 60 120 60
- The Palms 68 136 68
- The Point 37 74 37
- The Ridge 61 121 61
- The Woods 48 48 48
NOTE: The number of people in Noosa Springs is an estimate based on 2 per building/unit
Elysium 189*** 378 189
NOTE: The number of people in Elysium is an estimate based on 2 per building/unit
TOTAL VEHICLES 463
Q: Has Council considered the possibility of a wholesale evacuation of the whole of Noosa Springs?
7.0 Emergency Services
The recent bushfire at the southern end of Resort Drive and the golf course was attended by
Emergency Services vehicles, without using their sirens. As a result, some residents were
unaware of the emergency on their doorstep until the morning, whilst others were panicked by
neighbours knocking on doors.
Q: What was the reason for emergency sirens not being used?
Q: How can we ensure that sirens are used within Noosa Springs to alert residents?
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