Mornington Peninsula Shire Education and Care Services
Family Day Care and Outside School Hours Care
Page 1 of 2 Policy Date: December 2012 Review Date: December 2014
Code Red Day Policy
Policy Statement
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) advises that
Code Red is the highest fire danger rating and is the worst conditions for a bush or
grass fire. Homes are not designed or constructed to withstand fires in these
conditions; therefore the safest place to be is away from high risk areas on a Code
Red day.
The fire danger rating advises how dangerous a fire would be if one started.
Ratings are forecast using the Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in
advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as fuel load
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) issue a
Bushfire at Risk Register (BARR) which identifies licensed education and care services
that must pre-emptively close on a Code Red day
Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011
Part 4.2: Children’s Health & Safety
Division 5: Emergencies and communication
• Regulation 97: Emergency and evacuation procedures
National Quality Standard
Quality Area 2: Children’s Health and Safety
Standard 2.3: Each child is protected
• Element 2.3.2: Every reasonable precaution is taken to protect children from
harm and any hazard likely to cause injury
• Element 2.3.3: Plans to effectively manage incidents and emergencies are
developed in consultation with relevant authorities, practised and
implemented
Strategies and Practices
Code red closures
In the event that a Code Red day is announced for the Central District which
includes the Mornington Peninsula Shire the following services will be pre-emptively
closed:
• Red Hill After School Care Program (operating at Red Hill Consolidated Primary)
• Mornington Vacation Care Program (operating at David Collings Leisure Centre)
• Hasting Vacation Care Program (operating from Bittern Memorial Stadium)
• Family Day Care educators whose details are listed with the coordination
team and supplied to DEECD. These educator homes are determined by their
close proximity to children’s services closures on the Bushfire at Risk Register (as
issued by DEECD) and/or have been identified via the CFA’s Community
Information Guides as being in a township or community in high risk area
Mornington Peninsula Shire Education and Care Services
Family Day Care and Outside School Hours Care
Page 2 of 2 Policy Date: December 2012 Review Date: December 2014
• Additional Family Day Care educators who deem their property a possible risk
in the event of a Code Red day and who have therefore self nominated to be
placed on the closure list
Determining family day care homes for closure
• The coordination team will use the Bushfire at Risk Register (BARR) as issued by
DEECD, to initially determine those educators whose homes are in close
proximity to a centre based education and care service at high risk of
bushfires. These homes will be placed on the Code Red closure list and
addresses provided to DEECD
• There may be some situations where additional services not identified through
the BARR will be required to close on Code Red days. Further advice may be
sought from the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s emergency management team
and/or the Country Fire Authority (CFA) through their Community Information
Guides for communities that identify townships and communities that have
been deemed to be at risk of bushfires
Notification of Code Red days
• The family day care coordination team will notify each educator on the
closure list of a declared Code Red day no later than 3pm the day prior to the
declared Code Red day that their service is to close. Educators will then notify
families that are due to attend care on the day of their closure
• The outside school hour’s coordination team will notify services on the closure
list no later than 3pm the day prior to the declared Code Red day that the
service is to close. Services will be required to inform families of the closure
• Closure notices will be placed at the service once a call for closure has been
received
• Once a Code Red day has been announced it will not be rescinded even in
the event that the weather changes from the original forecast and therefore
services cannot elect to reopen
• The coordination teams and educators will remind families of pre-emptive
closures in regular service newsletters etc.
Sources and further reading
• CFA. “Prepare, Act Survive. Your Fire Ready Kit. (2012)
• DEECD Bushfire at Risk Register (BARR) www.education.vic.gov.au
• Country Fire Authority (CFA) www.cfa.vic.gov.au
• Bureau of Meteorology www.bom.gov.au
