Fire Requirements

Many areas of Australia are fire-prone. As a result, there are many fire related requirements in legislation at both the state and national levels that deal with the threat posed by fire. These requirements vary greatly depending on the area of interest and many other variables.

These variables for bush fire prone areas include the type of vegetation, the distance to various types of vegetation, and the slope of the area. For other areas, this includes the distance between buildings, the type of fencing and other variables that can cause problems.

Bushfire Prone Areas

All buildings in bush fire-prone areas must be constructed to AS3959. This code details the bush fire risk is for a building and how the building must be constructed in order to reduce the risk of damage in areas prone to higher bushfire attack.

The standard classifies bushfire attack by outlining the predominant vegetation in the vicinity of the building. The vegetation then falls into 1 of 7 classes of vegetation. These 7 classes in conjunction with the slope of the site, the distance to the predominant vegetation and a risk matrix is used to calculate the bush fire risk to the structure in question.

Once the structure has been assigned a bushfire risk level, then the standard details how various elements of the structure need to be built or used. The rules regarding how these structural elements are to be used and what materials are allowed can be quite complex. If you have any difficulty with meeting bush fire requirements, Epic Projects and Consulting is experienced in meeting bushfire requirements set by all levels of government.

Fire Requirements in Other Areas

While the fire risk outside of bushfire-prone areas can be quite different, the fire requirements can still be very rigorous. The requirements can come from many documents including the National Construction Code, Australian Standards, state planning and building laws, and many other documents. The rules and laws can vary from the types and grade of bolts, screws and other fixings to the distance between buildings.

These rules and laws can add a significant level of complexity to an otherwise simple job. This added complexity may require the use of a consultant. Epic Projects and Consulting is experienced in meeting fire requirements outside of bushfire prone areas and in urban environments.

If your project requires bushfire verifications, contact us.