With the intro of the new Building regulations that need to consider bushfire defence measures to Australian Standard 3959-2009 (AS3959) give locals who are reconstructing or remodeling now have actually have clear direction on the best ways to enhance defence to their houses.

However the bulk of houses in bushfire vulnerable locations pre-date those policies, implying existing that older residences are not likely to accomplish the enhanced levels of bushfire defence provided by the brand-new requirement.

The CFA has actually collaborated to offer, many useful recommendations to those who want to update their existing homes to be much better safeguarded from bushfires.

A wide range of alternatives exist and this guide is divided into 2 parts;

  • retrofit for generic fire ember protection and.
  • retrofit security for numerous Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL), based upon the Standard.

This guide is created to enhance the performance of dwellings when subjected to bushfire attack. There however can be no warranty that a structure will endure a bushfire. This is significantly due to the unforeseeable nature and behaviour of bushfires, building layout and design and the problems connected with severe weather causing the fire.
While this guide recognises building defence as per AS 3959, it must be plainly comprehended that such structure improvements are complementary to other prep work like surrounding Vegetation management as part of a overall plan and bushfire survival strategy.

Minimizing the threat from bushfire consists of a variety of tasks and processes:
1. Managing and evaluating surrounding vegetation
2. Defendable area evaluation and upkeep.
3. Arrangement and upkeep of active defence devices.
4. Building precaution
5. etc.

The guide covers all areas of a dwelling including:

  • Roofs
  • Flooring systems
  • Enclosed external structures
  • Windows (consisting of skylights)
  • Walls and Fascias
  • External Doors
  • Vents and Weepholes
  • Eaves, Gutters and Downpipes
  • Unenclosed external structures linked to your home (carports, decks, outdoor patios, pergolas etc)
  • Enclosed external structures within 6 metres of your house (garages, sheds etc)

While your response to each of these aspects will rely on your scenarios, each need to be analysised on its own merits.
You can read more by downloading the full document here.