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Bushfire risk assessment risk management plan 199 Maximillian Road Noosa North Shore Revision 1 - November 2019 · MCU20/0087
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Bushfire Risk Assessment
and
Bushfire Risk Management Plan
for
A new dwelling house
at
199 Maximillian Road, Noosa North Shore, Queensland
Lot 9 on MCH1714
Revision 1
November 2019
Prepared by:
Ecological Natural Area Management
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Document details
Author details
The author of this bushfire risk assessment and bushfire risk management plan is Adrian Hansen,
proprietor of Ecological Natural Area Management. Note that the author is a Fire Protection
Association of Australia Accredited Practitioner Level 3 in Bushfire Planning and Design. See
Appendix 3: Qualifications and experience of the author of this report for demonstration that the
author is “a competent person [and] is an appropriately qualified and experienced consultant with
appropriate and proven technical expertise in the preparation of bushfire hazard assessment
reports”.
Contact details
Adrian Hansen
Ecological Natural Area Management
0400 132 634
[email protected]
Document history
Revision Date Reviewed
Revision 1 27 November 2019_ Adrian Hansen
Document certification
27 November 2019 ……………
Adrian Hansen Date
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Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................... 5
2 Introduction................................................................................................................................................. 7
2.1 The reasons for the Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan............................................7
2.2 Commissioning of the Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan........................................7
2.3 The aim of the Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan....................................................7
2.4 Legislative considerations................................................................................................................. 7
2.5 Other regulatory considerations........................................................................................................ 7
3 Site description........................................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 Location............................................................................................................................................ 8
3.2 Zoning............................................................................................................................................... 8
3.3 Area of the lot.................................................................................................................................... 8
3.4 Building Code of Australia building class.......................................................................................... 8
3.5 Applicable development codes......................................................................................................... 9
3.6 Topography....................................................................................................................................... 9
3.7 Mapped Bushfire Hazard.................................................................................................................. 9
3.8 Climate.............................................................................................................................................. 9
4 Site vegetation assessment..................................................................................................................... 10
4.1 Site aerial photography................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Mapped Remnant Regional Ecosystems........................................................................................ 11
4.3 Visually assessed vegetation communities ....................................................................................12
4.4 Map of the visually assessed vegetation.........................................................................................13
5 Conservation significance of the vegetation.......................................................................................... 14
5.1 Conservation significance of the Remnant Vegetation from the Queensland Vegetation
Management Act...................................................................................................................................... 14
5.2 Conservation significance of the vegetation from the Noosa Plan..................................................14
6 Bushfire risk assessment........................................................................................................................ 15
6.1 Assessment of the Potential Bushfire Impact using the methodology for state-wide mapping of
bushfire prone areas................................................................................................................................ 15
6.2 Derivation of inputs for assessment of the Potential Bushfire Intensity Class.................................16
6.3 Tabulation of the Potential Bushfire Intensity Class........................................................................18
6.4 Potential Impact Buffer.................................................................................................................... 18
6.5 Map of the areas of Potential Bushfire Impact classes and class buffers.......................................19
6.6 Assessment of bushfire prone area................................................................................................ 19
7 Assessment of the Bushfire Attack Level...............................................................................................20
7.1 Assessment of the Bushfire Attack Level: Methodology..................................................................20
7.2 Modelled bushfire attacks............................................................................................................... 20
7.3 Forest Fire Danger Index................................................................................................................ 20
7.4 Assessment of fuel loads................................................................................................................ 21
7.5 Parameters used in the bushfire behaviour modelling....................................................................22
7.6 Results of bushfire attack modelling...............................................................................................23
7.7 Bushfire Attack Levels for each building elevation..........................................................................23
8 Bushfire risk management solutions and recommendations...............................................................24
8.1 Bushfire risk mitigation recommendations: Considerations.............................................................24
8.2 Recommendations for the Noosa Plan Detached House Code......................................................24
8.3 Recommendations for Australian Standard AS3959.......................................................................24
8.4 Recommendations for the Noosa Plan Biodiversity Overlay Code................................................24
8.5 Recommendations for siting & landscaping....................................................................................25
8.6 Recommendations for lodgement points of burning debris.............................................................25
8.7 Recommendations for on-going management of buildings & landscaping......................................26
8.8 Recommendations for Part E, Natural hazards of Qld State Planning Policy 2017........................26
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9 References................................................................................................................................................ 27
10 Appendices.............................................................................................................................................. 28
10.1 Appendix 1: Regional Ecosystem full descriptions........................................................................28
10.2 Appendix 2: Software report from the bushfire behaviour modelling.............................................29
10.3 Appendix 3: Qualifications and experience of the author..............................................................30
List of Figures
Figure 1: Proposed site plan............................................................................................................................. 8
Figure 2: Excerpt from The Noosa Plan Bushfire Overlay map showing the house in an area mapped as
Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity ................................................................................................................. 9
Figure 3: Excerpt from the Queensland Bushfire Potential Intensity mapping showing the house in an area
mapped as Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity............................................................................................... 9
Figure 4: Drone aerial photography acquired on 19 November 2019 showing Lot configuration, house
location, vegetation, areas cleared of vegetation and 5m contours................................................................10
Figure 5: Map of the Queensland Vegetation Management Act conservation status of the mapped Remnant
Vegetation near the house. ............................................................................................................................ 11
Figure 6: View north of the house showing a cleared area over to vegetation confirmed as Eucalyptus
racemosa open forest..................................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 7: View south showing showing the cleared area separation to Eucalyptus racemosa open forest.....12
Figure 8: View east of the house showing the driveway, a cleared area Eucalyptus racemosa open forest...12
Figure 9: Map of the visually assessed vegetation.........................................................................................13
Figure 10: Map showing the areas in the lot mapped as Environmental Protection or Riparian Buffer...........14
Figure 11: Map of the patches of vegetation used for patch and corridor filtering...........................................17
Figure 12: Map of the locations of the Bushfire Intensity Classes showing that all of the the proposed house
is in an area assessed as Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class..................................................................19
Figure 13: Map showing the bushfire attacks.................................................................................................. 20
Figure 14: Fuel accumulation curves for open forests in eastern Australia.....................................................21
Figure 15: Methodologies for minimising lodgement points for burning debris...............................................25
List of Tables
Table 1: Regional Ecosystems near the house............................................................................................... 11
Table 2: Conservation significance of the Remnant Regional Ecosystems derived from the Queensland
Vegetation Management Act........................................................................................................................... 14
Table 3: Potential fuel loads for the assessed vegetation communities based on their applicable potential fuel
hazard classes................................................................................................................................................ 16
Table 4: Table of Potential Bushfire Intensity Class derived from Potential Fire line Intensity.........................18
Table 5: Tabulation of the potential bushfire intensity classes for each of the patches ...................................18
Table 6: Surface and total fuel loads for use in AS3959 Method 2 assessments of BALs...............................21
Table 7: Excerpt from State Planning Policy Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience Technical Manual of
potential maximum fuel accumulation for the subject vegetation communities...............................................22
Table 8: Assessed Bushfire Attack Levels for the modelled bushfire attacks..................................................23
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1 Executive Summary
Introduction
A dwelling house, proposed to be constructed at 199 Maximillian Road, Noosa North Shore,
Queensland in the Noosa Council jurisdiction is mapped as being in a Medium Potential Bushfire
Intensity area on the Noosa Plan Bushfire Overlay map and Queensland Potential Bushfire
Intensity mapping. Therefore, the location of the house is deemed to potentially be in a Designated
Bushfire Prone Area and an assessment of the bushfire risk to the building and a bushfire risk
management plan is required.
Site specific assessment of the Potential Bushfire Intensity Class
A site specific assessment of the Potential Bushfire Intensity Class using the protocol of A new
methodology for state-wide mapping of bushfire prone areas assessed that:
• The house is subject to Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class
Assessment of Bushfire Prone Area status
The assessment of Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer confirms that:
• The location of the house is deemed to be a Bushfire Prone Area.
As the location of the house is in a designated Bushfire Prone Area, an assessment of the Bushfire
Attack Level using the protocol of Australian Standard AS3959: Construction of buildings in
bushfire prone areas is required to be conducted as specified by the Queensland Building Act and
the bushfire requirements of the National Construction Code.
Assessment of the Bushfire Attack Level
The Bushfire Attack Level using Method 2 of Australian Standard AS3959 Construction of buildings
in bushfire prone areas was assessed as:
• BAL 12.5 for all building elevations
Recommendations
Recommendations for the Noosa Plan Detached House Code
As the building location is in a Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class and a reliable reticulated
water supply is not available, it is recommended that:
• A water tank accessible for use by the fire brigade that contains at least 5000 litres of water
supply for fire fighting purposes with fittings for fire fighting emergency services be installed.
Recommendations for Australian Standard AS3959
Australian Standard AS3959 specifies Deemed to Satisfy bushfire resistant methodologies based
on the assessed Bushfire Attack Level.
• The Bushfire Attack Level for all building elevations: BAL 12.5
Accordingly, it is recommended that :
• The building solution for all building elevations address the Deemed to Satisfy requirements
of Sections 3 and 5 of Australian Standard AS3959 – 2018 Construction of buildings in
bushfire-prone areas.
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Recommendations for the Noosa Plan Biodiversity Overlay Code
It is recommended that:
• No clearing of vegetation with conservation significance is required for bushfire risk
mitigation in this plan.
Other applicable recommendations
It is recommended that:
• The building to have a bushfire fuel free zone around the house,
• The building be constructed with a minimum of lodgement points for burning debris and
• On-going maintenance of the building be conducted.
See Sections 8.5, 8.6 and 8.7 of this report.
Recommendations for Part E, Natural hazards of Qld State Planning Policy 2017
It is recommended that, notwithstanding that the proposed building location is in an area of
Potential Bushfire Hazard:
• The building siting, construction, firefighting resources etc outlined in Section 7.2
appropriately mitigates the potential bushfire Hazard as required by the SPP
• The development does not unduly burden emergency services as there is good access for
firefighting appliances, good fire fighting space, good water supply and contributes only one
extra building in the emergency services area
• The building and the cleared and hard-standing areas decreases the severity of a bushfire
on the lot and therefore does not increase severity of the bushfire Hazard and,
• There will be no hazardous material stored on the lot.
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2 Introduction
2.1 The reasons for the Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan
A dwelling house, proposed to be constructed at 199 Maximillian Road, Noosa North Shore,
Queensland in the Noosa Council jurisdiction is mapped as being in a Medium Potential Bushfire
Intensity area on the Noosa Plan Bushfire Overlay map and Queensland Potential Bushfire
Intensity mapping. Therefore, the location of the house is deemed to potentially be in a Designated
Bushfire Prone Area and an assessment of the bushfire risk to the building and a bushfire risk
management plan is required.
2.2 Commissioning of the Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan
Ecological Natural Area Management has been commissioned to prepare a Bushfire Risk Assessment
and Bushfire Risk Management Plan to fulfil the above requirements. See Appendix 3: Qualifications
and experience of the author of this report for demonstration that the author is a “a competent person
[and] is an appropriately qualified and experienced consultant with appropriate and proven technical
expertise in the preparation of bushfire hazard assessment reports”.
2.3 The aim of the Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan
The aim of this bushfire impact assessment report is to achieve appropriate levels of bushfire
protection for the developed properties while maintaining ecological sustainability. Bushfire
protection for buildings in bushfire prone areas is best achieved using a mix of:
•Fire resistant building technologies in the structures.
•Fire resistant methodologies in the structures such as minimising ember lodgement points
•Providing and appropriate fire break between the developed properties and flammable
vegetation.
• Appropriate building siting for bushfire protection
• Fuel management in the flammable vegetation near the developed properties while
maintaining ecological values of the vegetation habitat.
• Fuel management between the flammable vegetation and the developed properties.
• Maintenance of ecological and habitat values of any vegetation subject to vegetation
management for bushfire risk management.
To achieve the aim, the Plan will conduct bushfire assessments against legislative requirements
and make recommendations that address the requirements of these legislative instruments.
2.4 Legislative considerations
• Queensland Planning Act,
• Queensland Building Act,
• Queensland Vegetation Management Act,
• Queensland State Planning Policy 2017 and,
• The Noosa Plan
2.5 Other regulatory considerations
• The National Construction Code of Australia and
• Australian Standard AS 3959 - 2018: Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas.
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3 Site description
3.1 Location
The site, described as Lot 9 on MCH1714 is at 199 Maximillian Road, Noosa North Shore, Qld in
the Noosa Council jurisdiction. The proposed development is a new dwelling house.
Figure 1: Proposed site plan
3.2 Zoning
The Zoning Class of the site is Rural Settlement on the Noosa Plan Zone Map
3.3 Area of the lot
The area of the lot = 2.8 ha
3.4 Building Code of Australia building class
The building is a Class 1a building under the National Construction Code: a detached house.
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3.5 Applicable development codes
• The Noosa Plan: Detached house code,
• The Noosa Plan: Biodiversity and wetlands overlay code.
3.6 Topography
• Site topography is “Undulating ”5% to 10% slope.
3.7 Mapped Bushfire Hazard
The proposed location of the building is mapped as:
• Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity on the Noosa Plan Bushfire Overlay map and
• Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity on Queensland Potential Bushfire Intensity mapping.
Figure 2: Excerpt from The Noosa Plan Bushfire Figure 3: Excerpt from the Queensland Bushfire
Overlay map showing the house in an area Potential Intensity mapping showing the house
mapped as Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity in an area mapped as Medium Potential
Bushfire Intensity
3.8 Climate
The climate is subtropical. That is, the area is influenced by monsoonal climate systems in summer
but also from temperate climate systems in winter. Mean rainfall is approximately 1700.mm per
year. (Bureau of Meteorology, 2004) The “wet” season runs from December to April.
Severe bushfire weather can occur. This is characterised by dry windy days, winds north to north
west for 2-4 days and temperatures 350C or over. These conditions occur from September to
December; worst month, November. (Webster J, 2000)
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4 Site vegetation assessment
4.1 Site aerial photography
Drone aerial photography acquired on 19 November 2019 indicates that the lot and contiguous
areas are in a rural residential area with areas of native forest in the landscape.
Figure 4: Drone aerial photography acquired on 19 November 2019 showing Lot configuration,
house location, vegetation, areas cleared of vegetation and 5m contours
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4.2 Mapped Remnant Regional Ecosystems
Much of the vegetation near the house been mapped as Remnant Regional Ecosystems. The map of
Remnant Vegetation below will be used as an aid to identifying the vegetation.
Figure 5: Map of the Queensland Vegetation Management Act conservation status of the
mapped Remnant Vegetation near the house.
Table 1: Regional Ecosystems near the house
Regional Ecosystem Description
RE 12.9-10.4 Eucalyptus racemosa subsp. racemosa woodland on sedimentary rocks
RE 12.2.7 Melaleuca quinquenervia or rarely M dealbata open forest on sand plains
(Source: Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, 2015)
See Appendix 1 for the full descriptions of these Regional Ecosystems
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4.3 Visually assessed vegetation communities
The vegetation near the house was visually assessed. The visually assessed vegetation is
Eucalyptus racemosa open forest.
Figure 6: View north of the house showing a
cleared area over to vegetation confirmed as
Eucalyptus racemosa open forest
Figure 7: View south showing showing the
cleared area separation to Eucalyptus
racemosa open forest
Figure 8: View east of the house showing the
driveway, a cleared area Eucalyptus racemosa
open forest
See the next page for a map showing the extent of the visually assessed vegetation.
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4.4 Map of the visually assessed vegetation
Based on the visual assessment of the vegetation shown in the photographs on the previous page,
inspection of aerial photography, assessment of Remnant vegetation mapping and field verification,
the map below shows the locations of the visually assessed vegetation communities. The visually
assessed vegetation is:
• Cleared rural residential lots with mown lawns, gardens, houses roads, driveways etc
• Eucalyptus racemosa open forst – canopy height = 25m and
• Melaleuca quinquinervia open forest – canopy height = 20m.
Figure 9: Map of the visually assessed vegetation
This map of the visually assessed vegetation will be used in subsequent assessments of the
bushfire risk in this report.
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5 Conservation significance of the vegetation
5.1 Conservation significance of the Remnant Vegetation from the Queensland
Vegetation Management Act
Much of the vegetation on the lot derives enhanced conservation significance from the Queensland
Vegetation Management Act as it is mapped as Remnant Regional Ecosystem.
Table 2: Conservation significance of the Remnant Regional Ecosystems derived from the
Queensland Vegetation Management Act
Regional Regional Ecosystem short description VMA conservation VMA biodiversity
Ecosystem class status
RE 12.9-10.4 Eucalyptus racemosa subsp. racemosa woodland on Least concern No concern at
sedimentary rocks present
RE 12.2.7 Melaleuca quinquenervia or rarely M dealbata open forest Least concern No concern at
on sand plains present
See Figure 5 of this report showing the locations of the mapped Remnant Vegetation.
5.2 Conservation significance of the vegetation from the Noosa Plan
Much of vegetation on the lot derives conservation significance from the Noosa Plan as it is mapped
on the Biodiversity Overlay Map as:
• An Environmental Protection area or
• Riparian Buffer area
Figure 10: Map showing the areas in the lot mapped as Environmental
Protection or Riparian Buffer
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6 Bushfire risk assessment
As the house location is mapped as being in a Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity on the Noosa
Plan Bushfire hazard Overlay Map, this report will detail bushfire hazard assessments against:
• The Noosa Plan and
• Australian Standard AS 3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areas as
referenced by the National Construction Code of Australia.
6.1 Assessment of the Potential Bushfire Impact using the methodology for state-
wide mapping of bushfire prone areas
This report uses the the protocol specified in A new methodology for state-wide mapping of
bushfire prone areas (Leonard et al, 2014) as specified by Queensland State Planning Policy 2017
and the Noosa Plan to assess the bushfire prone area status of the house.
This methodology uses the following parameters.
• Potential Fuel Load
This is derived from Vegetation Hazard Classes table in the protocol. The table was derived
by relating vegetation community derived by combining Remnant Vegetation Regional
Ecosystem types and their Fire Regime Groups developed by the Queensland Parks and
Wildlife Service (Neldner et al, 2012) to a potential fuel load using the methodology of the
Overall Fuel Hazard Assessment Guideline .
• Patch and corridor filtering
Patch and corridor filtering can be used to remove or downgrade hazard levels of small
patches of vegetation and narrow corridors.
• Maximum Landscape Slope
The Maximum Landscape Slope is derived for 25m pixel separations.
• Fire Weather Severity
An expected McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index using a 1:20 year or 5% annual
exceedance probability was derived for all areas in Queensland to reflect the severity of
bushfire events suited to mitigation through land use planning and this expected maximum
FDI is presented in as a map in Figure 16: Fire weather severity for Queensland in A new
methodology for state-wide mapping of bushfire prone areas (Leonard et al, 2014). The
Forest Fire Danger Index for this site in Figure 16 is FFDI = 50.
• Potential Fire-line Intensity
With the above inputs, a Potential Fire-line Intensity can be calculated using the formula:
PFI = 0.62 x PFL2 x FFDI x exp(0.069 x slope)
Where:
PFI = Potential Fireline Intensity
PFL = Potential Fuel Load
FFDI = Expected maximum Forest Fire Danger Index
Slope = Maximum 25m pixel slope in degrees
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6.2 Derivation of inputs for assessment of the Potential Bushfire Intensity Class
The assessment of the Potential Bushfire Intensity Class using the protocol of A new methodology
for state-wide mapping of bushfire prone areas (Leonard et al, 2014) requires the following inputs.
Potential Fuel Load
Based on the map of the visually assessed vegetation communities shown in Figure 9 above, the
Potential Fuel Loads can be derived by relating the assessed vegetation to Queensland State
Planning Policy Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience Technical Manual.
Table 3: Potential fuel loads for the assessed vegetation communities based on their applicable
potential fuel hazard classes
Vegetation community Vegetation Hazard Class Potential fuel load
Eucalyptus racemosa 9.2 Moist to dry eucalypt open 24.1 t/ha
open forest forests on coastal lowlands
Melaleuca quinquinervia 22.1 Melaleuca open forests on 28.4 t/ha
open forest seasonally inundated lowland
coastal swamps
Rural residential areas 40.4 Low grass or tree cover in rural 5 t/ha
areas
Fire Weather Severity
The applicable Fire Weather Severity for the subject lot was drawn from the map of Queensland
Fire Weather Severities on Figure 16: Fire weather severity for Queensland in Leonard et al
(2014), page 17.
The applicable Fire Weather severity for the subject area = 50
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Patch and corridor filtering
Leonard et al (2014) specify a filtering process
to remove or downgrade hazard levels of small
patches and narrow corridors of hazardous
vegetation as fire-line intensity in these small
patches is unlikely to reach the level predicted
for large contiguous patches of vegetation
(Leonard et al (2014), page 5). Using the map
below, patch and corridor filtering was
conducted.
Figure 11: Map of the patches of vegetation used
for patch and corridor filtering
Patch filtering tabulation
Patch Initial class Merge class Reason for merge Potential load
Patch 1 Melaleuca woodlands Moist to dry eucalypt Allocated to Moist to dry eucalypt open 24.1 t/ha
on coastal swamps open forests on forests on coastal lowlands through the
coastal lowlands “filtering process to remove or downgrade
hazard levels of vegetation less than 100m
wide through patch erosion and
dilation...allocating it to the class most
common to the patch boundary
Patch 2 Moist to dry eucalypt Moist to dry eucalypt No merge as patch is large. Remains as 24.1 t/ha
open forests on open forests on Moist to dry eucalypt open forests on
coastal lowlands coastal lowlands coastal lowlands
Patch 3 Moist to dry eucalypt Low to moderate tree Allocated to Low to moderate tree cover in 5 t/ha
open forests on cover in rural areas rural areas by filtering as above
coastal lowlands
Patch 4 Melaleuca woodlands Melaleuca woodlands No merge as patch is large. Remains as 28.4 t/ha
on coastal swamps on coastal swamps Melaleuca woodlands on coastal swamps
Patch 5 Low to moderate tree Low to moderate tree No merge as patch is large. Remains as 5 t/ha
cover in rural areas cover in rural areas Low to moderate tree cover in rural areas
Patch 6 Moist to dry eucalypt Moist to dry eucalypt No merge as patch is large. Remains as 24.1 t/ha
open forests on open forests on Moist to dry eucalypt woodland on coastal
coastal lowlands and coastal lowlands and lowlands and ranges
ranges ranges
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6.3 Tabulation of the Potential Bushfire Intensity Class
Using the inputs derived above, the Potential Bushfire Intensity Classes for the patches of
vegetation are tabulated below.
Table 4: Table of Potential Bushfire Intensity Class derived from Potential Fire line Intensity
Potential Bushfire Intensity Class Potential Fire-line Intensity
Very high >40,000 kW/m
High 20,000 to 40,000 kW/m
Medium 4,000 to 20,000 kW/m
Low Less than 4000 kW/m
(Source: Leonard et al, 2014, page 20)
Table 5: Tabulation of the potential bushfire intensity classes for each of the patches
Patch Vegetation class Fuel load Slope FDDI Fireline Intensity Potential Bushfire
Intensity Class
Patch 1 Moist to dry eucalypt open forests 24.1 t/ha 1.8 0 50 20453 kW/m High
on coastal lowlands
Patch 2 Moist to dry eucalypt open forests 24.1 t/ha 3.7 0 50 23266 kW/m High
on coastal lowlands
Patch 3 Low to moderate tree cover in rural 5 t/ha 5.3 0 50 1116 kW/m Low
areas
Patch 4 Melaleuca woodlands on coastal 28.4 t/ha 1.8 0 50 28403 kW/m High
swamps
Patch 5 Low to moderate tree cover in rural 5 t/ha 5.3 0 50 1116 kW/m Low
areas
Patch 6 Moist to dry eucalypt open forests 24.1 t/ha 4.8 0 50 25151 kW/m High
on coastal lowlands and ranges
6.4 Potential Impact Buffer
As analysis of heat radiation decay curves and national research indicating that in most fires over
80% of housing loss and 80% of human life loss has occurred within 100m of bushland (Leonard et
al., 2014, page 7) specify that a default 100 meter buffer from the edge of hazardous vegetation
which has a Medium, High or Very High Potential Bushfire Intensity Class.
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6.5 Map of the areas of Potential Bushfire Impact classes and class buffers.
The map below shows the areas of the Potential Bushfire Impact classes and class buffers. The
location of the proposed house is in an area of Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class.
Figure 12: Map of the locations of the Bushfire Intensity Classes
showing that all of the the proposed house is in an area assessed as
Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class
6.6 Assessment of bushfire prone area
The assessment of Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class confirms that:
• The location of the house is deemed to be in a Bushfire Prone Area.
As the location of the proposed house is in a designated Bushfire Prone Area, an assessment of
the Bushfire Attack Level using the protocol of Australian Standard AS3959: Construction of
buildings in bushfire prone areas is required to be conducted as specified by the Queensland
Building Act and the bushfire requirements of the National Construction Code. Such a Bushfire
Attack Level assessment is conducted on subsequent pages of this report.
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7 Assessment of the Bushfire Attack Level
7.1 Assessment of the Bushfire Attack Level: Methodology
The National Construction Code references Australian Standard AS3959: Construction of buildings in
bushfire-prone areas for Deemed to Satisfy building requirements for bushfire risk management
construction of buildings. This section assesses the Category of Bushfire Attack and an equivalent
construction Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) for the house using Australian Standard AS3959 to
determine a level of construction required to achieve the objective of the Standard which is to
“prescribe particular construction details for buildings to reduce the risk of ignition from a bushfire
while the fire front passes”. (Standards Australia, 2018). This report uses software from Newcastle
Bushfire Consulting which models the Bushfire Attack Level using Method 2 of Australian Standard
AS3959-2009.
7.2 Modelled bushfire attacks
The south east potential direction for a bushfire attack were modelled using Method 2 of Australian
Standard AS 3959: Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas.
Figure 13: Map showing the bushfire attacks
7.3 Forest Fire Danger Index
This report will use the specified Forest Fire Danger Index of FFDI 40. as required by Australian
Standard AS3959.
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7.4 Assessment of fuel loads
Australian Standard AS3959 allows for the use of two fuel loads for assessing Bushfire Attack
Levels for bushfire attacks from open forest and woodland vegetation communities. The two fuel
loads allow for worst-case scenarios for woodland and open forest vegetation associations.
Table 6: Surface and total fuel loads for use in AS3959 Method 2 assessments of BALs
AS3959 vegetation descriptor Surface fuel load Total fuel load
Forest 25 t/ha 35 t/ha
Woodland 15 t/ha 25 t/ha
Notwithstanding the names of the two fuel loads are “woodland” and “forest”, the names are
AS3959 descriptors for fuel loads and do not relate to the Specht vegetation formation names of
open forest and woodland.
The reasons that the two fuel loads are specified instead of allowing the consultant to input any fuel
loads based on an assessment of the extent vegetation is to ensure that the fuel loads used reflect
the maximum potential fuel accumulation and to allow for a worst case scenario. An assessment of
the fuel loads in the extant vegetation could potentially be less than the maximum fuel accumulation
if the assessment is conducted after vegetation management works such as prescribed burning.
Figure 15 below shows fuel accumulation curves for open forests in eastern Australia which indicate
that none exceeds 20 t/ha maximum fuel accumulation.
30
Fuel load (t/ha)
20
10
0
30
Fuel load (t/ha)
20
10
0
0 5 10 15 20 30 0 5 10 15 20 30
Time since fire (years) Time since fire (years)
Figure 14: Fuel accumulation curves for open forests in eastern Australia
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It is to be noted that, Gilroy & Tran (2006) showed that open forest and woodland ecosystems in
coastal south-east Queensland do not achieve the high fuel loads for equivalent hinterland
vegetation communities in New South Wales and Victoria due to higher humidity leading to a
higher rate of breakdown of leaf litter and so reducing the potential maximum fuel accumulation in
these ecosystems.
State Planning Policy Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience Technical Manual: A ‘fit for purpose’
approach in undertaking natural hazard studies and risk assessments (Queensland Department of
Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, 2016) also specify potential maximum fuel
accumulation for vegetation communities in Queensland. The vegetation community in the
technical manual that is specific for the subject vegetation is shown on Table 5 below.
Table 7: Excerpt from State Planning Policy Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience Technical
Manual of potential maximum fuel accumulation for the subject vegetation communities.
Vegetation Hazard Class Potential Fuel Load
9.2 Moist to dry eucalypt open forests on coastal lowlands 24.1 t/ha
(Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, 2016, page 21)
From Table 7 above, the vegetation community described in the technical manual has a potential
maximum fuel accumulation less than 25 t/ha.
Methods that can be used for for the assessing fuel loads include:
• Vegetation sampling and oven drying to derive weight of dry fuel and
• Estimating fuel load using the Overall Fuel Hazard Guide (McCarthy et. al., 1999).
The actual fuel loads of the impacting vegetation were not assessed, however, based on the above
published potential fuel accumulations from the published literature shown above, this report will
use the next highest acceptable fuel load from AS3959 which is the “Woodland” fuel loads of:
• 15 t/ha surface fuel load and 25 t/ha total fuel.
7.5 Parameters used in the bushfire behaviour modelling
South east bushfire attack
This modelled fire burns down slope through Eucalyptus racemosa open forest to attack the house
from the south east.
• Fuel loads used are the “woodland” fuel loads of Australian Standard AS3959 of 25t/ha
surface fuel & 35t/ha total fuel.
• Separation of the house from the hazard: 16m
• Slope in the vegetation = 5.70 with the bush upslope of the house and
• Site slope = 4.70 with the bush upslope of the house
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7.6 Results of bushfire attack modelling
Table 8: Assessed Bushfire Attack Levels for the modelled bushfire attacks
Modelled bushfire attack
Modelled bushfire parameter South east bushfire attack
Separation from the hazard 16 m
Vegetation Woodland
Modelled surface fuel load 15 t/ha
Modelled total fuel load 25 t/ha
Vegetation slope (degrees) 5.7 0
Site slope (degrees) 4.7 0
Modelled rate of spread 0.49 km/h
Flame width 100 m
Radiant heat 12.48 kW/m2
Modelled fire line intensity 6276 kW/m
Modelled flame length 6.16 m
Level of construction (BAL) BAL 12.5
From Table 4 above the worst case Bushfire Attack Level from the bushfire behaviour modelling is:
• BAL 12.5
See Appendix 2 for a detailed software reports from which the above table was generated.
7.7 Bushfire Attack Levels for each building elevation
Australian Standard AS3959: Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas specifies that the
building elevation opposite the assessed bushfire attack direction can be reduced on BAL level due
to shielding by the building. However BAL 12.5 cannot be reduced further so the Bushfire Attack
Levels for each of the building elevations are:
• BAL 12.5 for all building elevations
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8 Bushfire risk management solutions and recommendations
8.1 Bushfire risk mitigation recommendations: Considerations
As shown above, The proposed location of the house:
• Is mapped as Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity on the Noosa Plan Bushfire Overlay,
• Is mapped as Medium Potential Bushfire Intensity on the Queensland State-wide Potential
Bushfire Intensity mapping,
• Is assessed as Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class with a site specific assessment,
• Is confirmed as being in a Bushfire Prone Area and
• Is assessed as BAL 12.5 for all building elevations.
Accordingly, this section will recommend bushfire mitigation requirements for the above assessments.
Legislative requirements are detailed in:
• The Noosa Plan: Detached house code
• The Noosa Plan Biodiversity Overlay Code,
• Australian Standard AS 3959 Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas and
• Queensland State Planning Policy 2017
8.2 Recommendations for the Noosa Plan Detached House Code
As the building location is in a Potential Bushfire Impact Buffer Class area and a reliable reticulated
water supply is not available,
It is recommended that:
• A water tank accessible for use by the fire brigade that contains at least 5000 litres of water
supply for fire fighting purposes with fittings for fire fighting emergency services be installed.
8.3 Recommendations for Australian Standard AS3959
Australian Standard AS3959: Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas specifies Deemed
to Satisfy bushfire resistant methodologies based on the assessed Bushfire Attack Level.
• Bushfire Attack Level for all building elevations: BAL 12.5
Accordingly, it is recommended that :
• The building solution for all building elevations address the Deemed to Satisfy requirements
of Sections 3 and 5 of Australian Standard AS3959 - 2018 Construction of buildings in
bushfire-prone areas.
8.4 Recommendations for the Noosa Plan Biodiversity Overlay Code
It is recommended that:
• No clearing of vegetation with conservation significance is required to be cleared for
bushfire risk mitigation.
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8.5 Recommendations for siting & landscaping
It is recommended that:the building to have a bushfire fuel free zone around the house. The fuel
free zone to have no overhanging tree branches that can:
• Break off in the high winds associated with bushfire weather and damage property or cause
injury to residents or fire fighting personnel
• Be a lodgement point for wind blown burning debris from the fire front which can then drop
burning debris onto the buildings
It is further recommended that landscaping around the building such as planting low, fire resistant
shrubs or building permanent barriers such as low stone or masonry walls to:
• Create barriers which slow down and cool the fire front.
Such methodologies help to protect buildings from possible attack by burning debris, heat radiation
and direct flame contact. See Figure 10 below for an example of the creation of a buffer zone.
8.6 Recommendations for lodgement points of burning debris
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service recommend that buildings be constructed with a
minimum of lodgement points for burning debris.
Figure 15: Methodologies for minimising lodgement points for burning debris
(Source: Queensland Government, 2000)
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8.7 Recommendations for on-going management of buildings & landscaping
On-going maintenance procedures will ensure that the buildings will maintain the highest levels of
bushfire protection afforded by the siting, landscaping and construction recommendations in this
report. Maintenance strategies include:
Cleaning the roof and gutters of all flammable material on a regular basis, especially in the lead up
to the fire season
• Keeping the lawn buffer zone mown and watered
• Keeping the lawn buffer zone clear of all flammable material
• Clearing away any flammable material lodged against the structure
• Repairing and close any exposed lodgement points for burning debris
• Ensuring all painted surfaces are in good condition
• Maintaining drive ways
• Maintaining screens in good condition
• Maintaining roof in good condition
• Maintaining doors in good condition
• Keeping flammable material away from the buildings
8.8 Recommendations for Part E, Natural hazards of Qld State Planning Policy 2017
It is recommended that, notwithstanding that the proposed building location is in an area of
Potential Bushfire Hazard:
• The building siting, construction, firefighting resources etc outlined in Section 8.2
appropriately mitigates the potential bushfire Hazard as required by the SPP
• The development does not unduly burden emergency services as there is good access for
firefighting appliances, good fire fighting space, good water supply and contributes only one
extra building in the emergency services area
• The building and the cleared and hard-standing areas decreases the severity of a bushfire
on the lot and therefore does not increase severity of the bushfire Hazard and,
• There will be no hazardous material stored on the lot.
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9 References
Cheney, N.P. and Gould, J.S. (1997). Letter to the editor – fire growth and acceleration.
International Journal Wildland Fire 7(1):1-5
Couch, P, (2010). The Urban Fringe Under Pressure, in Proceedings of Fire Australia 2010, Fire
Protection association of Australia, Melbourne.
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, (2015). Regional ecosystem descriptions.
Available from http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/ecosystems/biodiversity/regional-ecosystems, accessed
November 2019.
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, (2015). Regional Ecosystem Maps /
Regrowth Vegetation Maps and PMAVs, Available from
<http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/ecosystems/biodiversity/regional-ecosystems/maps/index.php>,
accessed November 2019.
Leonard, J., Opie, K., Newnham, G. & Blanchi, R. (2014) A new methodology Bushfire Prone
Area Mapping Report 5. Unpublished report for Queensland Government, Brisbane.
McCarthy, GJ, Tolhurst, KG & Chatto K, (1999), Overall Fuel Hazard Guide: 3rd Edition,
Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria
Noosa Council, (2015). The Noosa Plan, Noosa Council, Tewantin, Queensland.
Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, (2017). Technical
manual Natural Hazards, Risk and Resilience: A ‘fit for purpose’ approach in undertaking natural
hazard studies and risk assessments. Queensland Government, Brisbane
Queensland Government, (1994). Queensland Vegetation Management Act 2003, The Office of
the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel, Brisbane, Queensland
Queensland Government, (2000). Protecting your home against bushfire attack, Queensland
Government
Standards Australia, (2009). Australian Standard™ AS 3959-2009: Construction of buildings in
bushfire-prone areas, Standards Australia, Sydney
Tan, Z, (2006). Effect of fire run distance on bushfire behaviour and its implications for bushfire
hazard rating and prescription of asset protection zones, NSW Rural Fire Service Technical Paper
002/2006, NSW Rural Fire Service, Sydney.
Webster J, (2000). The complete bushfire safety book, Random House Australia Pty Ltd, Milsons
Point, NSW
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10 Appendices
10.1 Appendix 1: Regional Ecosystem full descriptions
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10.2 Appendix 2: Software report from the bushfire behaviour modelling
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10.3 Appendix 3: Qualifications and experience of the author
This appendix to demonstrate that the author is an “appropriately qualified and experienced
consultant with appropriate and proven technical expertise in the preparation of bushfire hazard
assessment reports and management plans” (Sunshine Coast Regional Council, 2014b).
Author: Adrian Hansen
Relevant qualifications:
• Master of Environmental Management (with Distinction)
• Graduate Diploma in Design for Bushfire Prone Areas
• Diploma in Community Natural Resource Management
• Certificate IV Applied Environmental Management
• Certificate II in Bush Regeneration (with Distinction)
Relevant certifications:
• FPAA Accredited Practitioner Level 3 in Bushfire Planning and Design.
(See FPAA website (http://www.fpaa.com.au/bpad.aspx) for details of the certification)
Other relevant qualifications
• Certificate II in Public Safety (Fire fighting Operations)
• Certificate in Bushfire Management
• Certificates in Fire Fighting - Advanced skills & Crew leadership
• Certificate in Property Fire Management Planning
• Certificate in Fire and Biodiversity Monitoring
• Certificate in Regional Ecosystems Frameworks
• Bachelor of Applied Science (Majors in botany and ecology)
Relevant experience:
• 12 years experience preparing bushfire risk assessments and bushfire risk management
plans (Plans have included individual lots, sub-divisions, eco-cabins developments, schools
etc including both deemed to satisfy and alternate solutions)
• 13 years experience in bush fire fighting
• 13 years experience in bushfire ecology (includes fire and biodiversity monitoring and
ecological fire management plans for conservation areas)
• 14 years experience in natural resource management, ecology, ecological restoration,
environmental management planning etc
Bushfire Risk Assessment and Management Plan for a house at 199 Maximillian Road, Noosa North Shore November 2019
30
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