Compiled Plans & Documents OPW18-0342 02

                                                                           Bushfire Emergency Provisions
                                       Residential Aged Care Facility – 6 Grasstree Court, Sunrise Beach

Primary Action 2: Preparing for Evacuation or Sheltering
These provisions relate to a residential aged care facility. Whilst some residents may remain mobile,
others may experience psychological or physical characteristics which add to their potential
vulnerability in the event of a bushfire emergency, or place reliance upon others to assist in
emergency and evacuation.

Overall, the facility includes:

            •     96 beds

            •     Approximately 20-25 staff on premises at any one time.

An asset protection zone of 14m is provided to the north, with a fire trail adjacent to the western
boundary, providing access to the rear of the facility from Grasstree Court. A hydrant/sprinkler
system services the facility. Fire hose reels are also situated across the facility. The building itself is
divided into a number of fire compartments in case of building fire.

The rear façade (facing north) and the entirety of the roof structure of the RAC building is to be built
to a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) standard of 29, with the balance of the facility constructed to BAL-
19 standard, pursuant to AS3959-2009 – Construction of Buildings in a Bushfire Prone Area.

BAL-29 construction aids in the protection of the building from a radiant heat flux of 29,000kW/m2.
BAL-19 construction aids in the protection of the building from a radiant heat flux of 19,000kW/m2.

It is important to note that despite compliance with the Australia Standard, this does not guarantee
building survival from a bushfire event.

The extent of bushland adjoining the facility is limited to a narrow corridor between the rear
boundary and the high school to the north, however this corridor is fully attached to a broader area
of bushland to the immediate west, forming Noosa National Park and thus, the opportunity for fire
propagation continues to exist.

Item 1: Refuge and Transportation
The off-site refuge locations are to be set out in the overall emergency plan for the facility, noting
they must be facilities which are not themselves vulnerable to bushfire hazard. Council evacuation
centres are unlikely to be an option for most (if not all) occupants by virtue of the specific care
needs they may have. The ideal option is to evacuate to other BlueCare or competitor aged care
facilities which have spare capacity, motels, etc. ensuring the appropriate level of care can
continue to be offered. This may include short term evacuation to the residences of family members,
where permitting. The families of occupants should be asked to consider this in advance of any
event upon a resident’s admission to the facility.

It is understood none of the occupants of the facility will have access to their own private vehicle,
thus self-evacuation is not an option. It will be the case that all occupants will require the assistance
of others in an evacuation or emergency, including transportation.

RESPONSIBILITY: The operators of the facility must arrange for and keep a register of each resident’s
evacuation destinations, and are responsible for contacting the family of each resident to confirm
their safety after they have evacuated the facility. Families of occupants should be advised not to
travel to the facility in the event of an emergency or evacuation.

RESPONSIBILITY: The chief and/or deputy fire wardens are responsible for organising transport for
occupants to evacuate the facility. Ideally, the Queensland Ambulance Service should only be
relied upon for occupants of the highest need given their potential alternative priorities and limited
resources.

RECOMMENDATION: To aid in this process, the operators of the facility may wish to consider a
Memorandum of Understanding or other form of agreement with selected transport companies
including taxi and bus companies, to transport those residents requiring assistance to evacuate, if


Status: Provisions                                                                            December 2018
Project No.: 18-030                                                                                Page 14