Pearl Beach residents and visitors now have a safe place to retreat to if threatened by bushfires with the recent opening of a Community Support Centre at the Pearl Beach Community Memorial Hall.
With a grant of $91,630 from the Federal Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery program, the Pearl Beach Safety Advisory Group, a sub-committee of the Pearl Beach Progress Association, set about designing and erecting an active bushfire protection system under the leadership of Paul Toohey in the wake of the devastating bushfires of 2019.
The centre aims to make the community hall a much safer place to shelter from a bushfire, for residents and visitors unable to evacuate.
A bushfire sprinkler system project includes 50 sprinklers installed on the hall roof and walls to protect the hall from embers and fire, fed from two large steel rainwater tanks installed in the rear yard and a spear point pump for additional water in an emergency.
Solar power with battery storage and a backup generator were also installed to make sure there was reliable power for the bushfire pumps and for the hall to continue operation during emergency events including blackouts, Toohey said.
“Pending resolution of Water Access Licence issues with the NSW Government, a fire hose outlet on the tanks will be able to supply the RFS with enough water to refill up to 20 fire trucks over 24 hours,” he said.
At the official opening of the centre on December 11, Toohey said the project would not have been possible without the work of Ben Kearney and the support of volunteers.
He acknowledged Laura Sheed representing the National Emergency Management Agency and Simon Duff from Towards Tomorrow Energy.
He said the hall has been approved by the Central Coast Bushfire Management Committee and the RFS as a Neighbourhood Safer Place.
The Pearl Beach Safety Advisory Group implemented the vision of a Community Support Centre mooted several years ago by the group and in particular by Greg McPhee, Carolyn Everett and Richard Stewart.
Pearl Beach Progress Association President Karina Stafford said the centre would fill an important role.
“Whilst all of us in Pearl Beach love the beauty and tranquillity the surrounding bush and national parks provide, we are also very conscious of how quickly fires can spread through this area and the devastation they can cause to lives and property,” she said.
“One in five homes here adjoin national parks with two out of three properties now classified as bushfire prone, making it an area of particularly high risk.
“More than 50 per cent of our population are over 65 years of age, with a quarter over 75.
“One third of the homes have someone living by themselves, and 7 per cent of the population require assistance for everyday tasks.
“This centre represents a place where all the community, particularly the vulnerable, have a place they can go in an emergency – a safer place, where others will be there to help them and provide comfort and support during emergency situations.”
Stafford said the dedicated team from the advisory group had turned a concept into a reality and provided a much-needed resource for the community.
“We thank them for their vision, tenacity and hard work in securing funding for, and creating this safer place for Pearl Beach residents and visitors,” she said.
Source:
Media release, Dec 14
Pearl Beach Progress Association