HALLS Gap Primary School will relocate its classes to Halls Gap Community Hall on Wednesday due to a forecast severe fire danger.
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In a letter to parents and carers, Halls Gap Primary School principal Ja-San Trimble said the school would relocate on December 13 due to “a Severe/Extreme Fire Danger rating day being forecast for our area”.
“The school is expected to re-open on December 14, when conditions are predicted to improve,” Ms Trimble wrote.
“If another Severe/Extreme fire danger rating day is determined for the following day, the school will continue to operate from the host venue.
“Parents should transport their children to the hall no earlier than 8.45am where possible and pick up from the hall at 3.15pm.”
Halls Gap Primary School confirmed to Fairfax Media that it had sent the letter but declined to make further comment.
The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.
Ms Trimble wrote in the letter that to parents and carers that “all possible steps” were being taken to advise the school’s community of the changes.
Signs will be placed at the school gates and parents were encouraged to advise others about the relocation.
“You should explain to your child and family members that as our school will be relocating for safety reasons, no one will be allowed to enter the school site,” Ms Trimble wrote.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast that Halls Gap will reach a maximum of 36 degrees on Wednesday, with temperatures exceeding 30 by 11am.
Northerly and north-northwesterly winds of up to 35 kilometers per hour were forecast between 8am and 5pm.
A total fire ban has been declared in the Wimmera and Mallee districts for Wednesday.
Country Fire Authority District 16 operations manager Neville Collins said there would be a very high fire danger throughout the whole day.
In January 2014, emergency services took the rare step of urging Halls Gap residents to evacuate as the town came under threat from a bushfire in the Grampians National Park.
How to stay informed if there is a fire:
- Via www.emergency.vic.gov.au.
- Tune in to ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations, or Sky News TV.
- Call the VicEmergency Hotline to talk to someone about preparedness on freecall 1800 226 226.
- People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have a speech/communication impairment can contact VicEmergency Hotline via the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677.
- For help with English, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 (freecall) and ask them to telephone VicEmergency Hotline. If you know someone who cannot speak English, provide them with this number.
- Download the VicEmergency app or follow VicEmergency on Twitter (#vicfires) or Facebook.