Shadow education minister calls on WA Government to explain what fire conditions triggered school closures

After the closure of several schools in the Karratha district because of fire danger warnings the shadow education minister is calling on the WA Government to explain why some schools had to shut while others remained open.

Pegs Creek Primary School, St Luke’s College, Roebourne District High School, and Wickham Primary School were closed as a result of an extreme fire warning on Monday while several other schools in the region remained open.

Peter Rundle said parents deserved to know what conditions triggered school closures under the new fire rating system so they can prepare.

“The safety of students and school staff is paramount as we head into the summer months when there is a higher fire risk,” he said.

“However, I call on the Department of Education to clarify how the new fire rating system impacts decisions to close schools, particularly in regions like the Pilbara where high temperatures are common.

“Better communication is required.”

Education deputy director-general Melesha Sands said each school was individually assessed for its fire risk in relation to the Department of Fire and Emergency alerts.

“The Department of Education undertakes an assessment of the risk to a school based on alerts from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Bureau of Meteorology’s fire danger rating when making any decision to close a school due to fire risk,” she said.

“Pegs Creek Primary School, for example, has a higher fire danger rating than other schools in Karratha, which is why it was pre-emptively closed on Monday.

“The safety of all children is paramount and at the forefront of decisions.”

According to the DFES website, schools may be located near each other but have different risk ratings depending on the vegetation on school grounds and surrounding areas, the type of buildings, and access to and from the site.

The new fire danger rating system, which was introduced in September, uses eight different types of vegetation to determine the fire danger, instead of the previous system which just used forest and grass.

It has four rating levels — moderate, high, extreme, and catastrophic.

An extreme fire danger rating remains in the Hedland and Burrup areas.