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Fire Safety and the Australian Standards

With the horrendous bush fires that spread throughout Victoria (Australia), the state government issued a press release about new building regulation codes for high fire risk areas.

AS3959-2009 to Protect against FiresThe new Australian Standard for Design and Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas (AS 3959-2009) was actually due to be adopted by all Australian States and Territories by May 2010, but Victoria has brought their compliance forward by adopting the standard from the 11 of March.

Every new building built in Victoria will undergo a BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) assessment as part of the application for a building permit. This assessment will then determine the method of construction so as to protect the property from a potential bushfire.

In the most extreme fire risk areas, new buildings will be required to have the following: 

  • A concrete slab
  • Exterior walls to be constructed of non-combustible material, eg. brick veneer or concrete
  • Non-combustible material on the roof, veranda or deck
  • Sealed wall and roof joints to guard against ember attacks
  • Shutters made from aluminium or other non-combustible material, or toughened glass for windows
  • Door frames made from fire resistant timber, with a weather strip at the base
  • Metal (rather than plastic) external trimmings such as vents, guttering and down pipes.

For more information on shutters that conform to fire safety standards please contact Con Antoniadis on 1300 748 883 or visit Your Roller Shutters.

About the Author

Safety Concepts is an online resource providing up to date insights and covering issues in the field of Workplace Safety.

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