Fire Information

This information will come into effect for the fire season 2024.

Fire season 2024/2025

25/11/2024 – 01/05/2025

(HEPBURN)

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NBM Fire Plan

(PDF document available via link)

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Notice

Attention to residents and guests staying at the monastery:
NBM is located on the edge of the beautiful Wombat State Forest. We enjoy the secluded location but there are also some risks associated with staying here. One of them is bushfire, especially in the fire season, which lasts from approximately October to May annually. We have developed the NBM Fire Plan (published online at nbm.org.au and available in hardcopy in the dining hall) to help our community to manage these risks and plan ahead. Where possible, we will try to evacuate early (long notice evacuation). We evacuate on the morning of an extreme fire warning & we will advise guests as soon as we are aware this will happen (approximately once every year or second year). However, the CFA has advised us that short notice evacuations may also take place where we don’t have a lot of notice before we have to leave. The CFA has advised us to expect no more than 30 minutes notice for an evacuation due to bushfire. Bushfires may also begin and spread at night.

It is therefore important that you do the following:

Last updated: January 2021

Read the Fire Plan

Read the fire plan & ask questions if you are unsure.

Prepare Evacuation Kits

Prepare an evacuation kit which contains your important documents and medicines in an accessible location in case we have to evacuate at short notice.

Ensure Access to Appropriate Clothing

Make sure you have access to appropriate clothing to wear for a short notice evacuation (e.g. jeans and long sleeve cotton T-shirt OR coveralls, enclosed shoes, hat, filter mask and gloves). This is to prevent personal injury from inappropriate clothing.

Speak to the Chief Fire Warden

Arrange to speak to the chief fire warden if you have a condition that may affect your ability to evacuate (e.g. non-English speaker, mobility impairment, hearing loss, elderly etc) so we can develop a personal evacuation plan for you.