Do I Need a Assessment?
A Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) Assessment is a means of measuring the severity of a building’s potential exposure to the three different ways a bushfire can attack a property – ember attack, radiant heat and direct flame contact. To learn more about how these can impact a property see our article here: How a Bushfire attacks your home.
In essence a BAL assessment uses the methods found in AS3959 to measure the risk of a house being impacted by a bushfire event . The BAL assessment will then give a rating that classifies the potential exposure and risk as BAL Low meaning minimal risk or one of 5 other classification as shown in the image below. The higher the number, the greater the risk. BAL-FZ or Flame Zone has the highest risk. The number relates to the radiant heat the building is likely to be exposed to, measured in kilowatts per square metre. Therefore a BAL 12.5 rating means that the calculated radiant heat exposure will be up to 12.5 kilowatts per square metre.
Enter the address of the property on the location bar (top left of the screen)
If the property is shown in pink it means it is in a Bushfire Prone Area and a BAL Assessment will be required.
Some things to note as you check: If you do not require planning approval and the building is located entirely outside of a bush fire prone area (i.e. located in a non-pink area), regardless of whether any other portion of the same lot is within a bush fire prone area:
· Does not require a further assessment of bush fire risk (such as a bushfire attack level (BAL) assessment); and
· is not required to comply with the bush fire construction requirements of the BCA.
So, if the location of the proposed building has no pink, even if other parts of the site has pink shading, a BAL should not be required. If you would like us to check if your project actually needs a BAL – please send through your site plan and we would be happy to check for you. Or call us now on 9555 9444 or email us on bal@bushfiresmart.com.au to dicsuss it further.
Keen to learn more??
Do I Need a BAL?
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