Engaging a qualified and recognised BPAD consultant can bring benefits to your project.
Before investing time and money, it may be worthwhile to engage a Bushfire Planning and Design Consultant to help you navigate the complexities of relevant bushfire legislation.
BPAD Consultants are trained professionals with postgraduate qualifications in bushfire protection. They are registered with the Fire Protection Association of Australia (FPA), giving you assurance that they’re qualified, committed to ongoing professional development, and adhere to a code of ethics. Qualified BPAD practitioners have detailed knowledge of the relevant planning, development and building legislation and policies within the Building Code of Australia and the Australian Standard AS3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areas. They know how to apply the legislation, relevant to your project.
Getting advice early in the planning process is a good idea as it can prevent expensive mistakes later when lodging the development or planning application with your council.
Case Study | New dwelling in North Tamworth
Our client planned to develop a new dwelling in North Tamworth. The site is bushfire prone on the edge of the urban area, backing onto a steep bushland reserve. The development site is a vacant residential allotment.
Background:
The client had submitted the DA, which was referred to the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). RFS responded to Council with their recommended conditions, which included BAL Flame Zone construction requirements.
GeoLINK engaged to help:
GeoLINK was engaged to provide a Bushfire Hazard Assessment (BHA) in an effort to reduce the construction level. The BHA included a performance based solution using software to model the potential bushfire impact on the proposed dwelling, based on the specific characteristics of the site.
The assessment took into consideration the nature of the proposed development, the vegetation creating a bushfire hazard, the effective slope and Fire Danger Index for the site in accordance with Planning for Bushfire Protection 2019.
Recommendations:
The BHA recommended BAL 29 construction for the elevations of the proposed dwelling that are exposed to the bushfire hazard vegetation and BAL 19 construction for the shielded elevations, along with a radiant heat shield (i.e. a 1.5 m high masonry or metal fence along the site boundary) adjacent to the bushfire hazard vegetation.
Project outcome:
The GeoLINK recommendations were adopted and included in the modified conditions of consent. This will result in significant cost savings for the client in the construction of their dwelling while still maintaining the appropriate level of bushfire protection.
GeoLINK BPAD expertise and knowledge
GeoLINK’s bushfire consultants have extensive knowledge of the intricacies required for building in bushfire-prone areas as well as the types of products that may be suitable for your project.
Our bushfire team are both recognised and qualified with accreditation under the Fire Protection Association Australia Bushfire Planning and Design (BPAD) Scheme (consisting of Level 2 and 3 practitioners). This allows us to take on more complex assessments that require a performance-based approach to achieve higher bushfire outcomes.
As an industry leader in bushfire hazard assessments, we can help ensure your project meet its bushfire obligations. Get in touch with our bushfire consultants to help you understand the process and give you guidance on what’s needed for approval.
