Place of refuge for Pearl Beach community

The Pearl Beach Memorial Hall has been upgraded to serve as a place of refuge in the advent of a bushfire.

Pearl Beach Progress Association received $91,000 funding from the Australian Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery grants to upgrade the hall with substantial bushfire resilience measures to offer significantly improved safety.

A spokesperson said the Central Coast Bushfire Management Committee and NSW Rural Fire Service had now approved the hall as a Neighbourhood Safer Place, following the installation of various measures.

These include active bushfire protection sprinklers to protect the hall buildings, independent water supply with 18kl steel rainwater tanks and a spearpoint pump and a back-up power supply with solar, batteries and generator giving highly reliable supply for 48-plus hours.

The hall infrastructure includes an AED (automated external defibrillator), first aid supplies, toilet washroom facilities, NBN/phone and a functioning kitchen.

“The hall project has successfully created a substantially more resilient ‘last resort’ place for residents to shelter if unable to evacuate from a major fire,” an Association spokesperson said.

“It will also be an excellent resource in other catastrophic events such as major storms, road closures and power outages within the village.

“The project was designed, project managed and installed by community volunteers.”

The hall/Neighbourhood Safer Place (NSP) is also available for use by all NSW Emergency Services as a hub during a fire or storm when power is out in the village.

The NSP Operations Manual is in place and physical training in the activation and operation of the NSP commenced in March 2023.

Further training, to refresh and of new operators, will be held each year in September ahead of the start of bushfire season.

Pearl Beach is at high risk from both bushfire and severe storms and exacerbated because Brisbane Water National Park surrounds the village on three sides with up to 4km of dense bush with bushfires being an ever-present risk.

The  spokesperson said about 120 of the 660 properties in the village directly abutted the national park and all were within 500m of the bush.

“Many people in these properties may need to be evacuated.

“The village is heavily vegetated and vulnerable to prolonged ember attack.

“(It) is served by a single two-kilometre road surrounded by dense bushland on either side.

“The risks of this road being cut off (could see) fire or fallen trees isolating the village for hours or possibly days.

“The single overhead powerline could be out for hours or days and many residents are elderly/frail, some requiring medical equipment or medicines which need refrigeration.”

The Hall/Neighbourhood Safer Place will primarily ensure the survival and refuge of not only Pearl Beach residents but also to the significant number of holidaymakers and visitors to the village.