Appendix F - Bushfire Hazard Assessment and Managment Report

Bushfire Report


and local council's Bushfire Prone Area code and to minimise the impact of potential
bushfires on people and property.

The proposed measures are prepared in according with Queensland State
Government State Planning Policy - Part E (SPP 2017), the Bushfire Resilient
Communities Technical Reference Guide (QFES, 2019), the local council's Bushfire
Overlay Code, and the Australian Standard (AS 3959:2018) for Construction of
buildings in bushfire-prone areas.

The legislation mentioned above aims to protect individuals and buildings from
bushfires by ensuring that new developments meet specific Performance Outcomes
that are appropriate for the identified bushfire hazard. These Performance Outcomes
are typically achieved by properly separating the development from the bushfire
hazard, providing adequate access for firefighting vehicles, and constructing
buildings to the appropriate standards. Additionally, the legislation includes other
relevant factors that are deemed necessary for ensuring the safety of individuals and
buildings during a bushfire emergency.

    5.3.1 Asset Protection Zone (APZ)
An Asset Protection Zone (APZ) is the most important bushfire protection measure.
An APZ is a designed area surrounding a building or structure that has been well
managed to reduce the risk of a bushfire impacting the building or structure. An APZ
provides:

    ▪   A buffer zone between a bushfire hazard and an asset
    ▪   An area of reduced bushfire fuel that allows suppression of fire
    ▪   An area from which backburning may be conducted
    ▪   An area which allows emergency services access and provides a relatively
        safe area for firefighters and homeowners to defend their property.

A correctly designed and regularly maintained APZ will reduce the risk of:

    ▪   Direct flame contact on the asset
    ▪   Damage to the build asset from intense radiant heat
    ▪   Ember attack on the asset

An APZ are typically designed and created by removing vegetation and other
combustible materials from around the building or structure, reducing the fuel
available for a bushfire. The width of the APZ and the level of vegetation removal
required depend on a number of site-specific factors, including the slope of the land,
the hazardous vegetation type, and the intensity of the bushfire hazard. The property
owner is responsible for creating and maintaining regularly the designed APZ.

    (1) Creating APZ by reducing bushfire fuel

The intensity of bush fires can be greatly reduced where there is little to no available
fuel for burning. To effectively manage bushfire fuels, there are several approaches
to reduce, remove, or change the condition of the fuel.
Max Bushfire Protection Consulting                                                38