Many facilities have procedures to enable safe movement and assist in the evacuation of occupants in the event of a fire. These procedures are normally referred to as an Emergency Management Plan consistent with Australian Standard AS3745:2010 Planning For Emergencies in Facilities. In the case of healthcare facilities, see AS4083:2010 Planning For Emergencies – Healthcare Facilities. Bushfire and Environmental Management Consultancy provide a range of services to assist with bushfire emergency planning throughout Newcastle and surrounds.
Vulnerable development in bushfire prone areas, such as those often referred to as Special Fire Protection Purpose (SFPP) development (school, child care centre, hospital, seniors housing, hotel, motel or other tourist accommodation) need to consider a Bushfire Emergency Management and Evacuation Plan. Furthermore, commercial/industrial, multiple occupancy (land sharing) and community title estate within bushfire prone areas should also have Bushfire Emergency Management and Evacuation Plan.
Whether you are a small landholder living in a bushfire prone area or a developer planning a new housing estate, a clear and effective set of procedures needs to be developed to meet a bushfire crisis. BEMC provide assistance to a wide range of clients, operating throughout Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, the Mid North Coast, Port Stephens and the Central Coast.
No one can forget the disastrous fires of 2019-2020 when raging fires ravaged large parts of our beautiful country for weeks on end. Millions of hectares of vegetation were burnt, billions of animals died or were misplaced, thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed, dozens of people lost their lives, and tens of thousands were displaced. This painful catastrophe highlighted the risk of fire and the need for preparedness.
Any individual landowner or property developer with land or living in areas prone to bushfires requires a bushfire evacuation plan. Bushfire Environmental Management Consultancy (BEMC) is a full-service company offering assessments, recommendations and implementations for existing and new property developments and projects. We collaborate with you to examine and assess your property and propose construction to determine the risk factors and produce a comprehensive bushfire evacuation plan. After that, we consider prevention strategies to develop a bushfire safety plan and a bushfire emergency plan.
BEMC believes that prevention is better than cure when it comes to bushfires. We understand the environment and other factors that could lead to fires.
With over 20 years of experience in our target areas of Sydney, Newcastle, Central Coast, Hunter Valley and Mid North Coast, our team is ideally placed to service your needs. Call us today on 0408 667 137 to see how we can help you.
We can broadly break the issues into two categories: construction and planning. You will need to construct the building to a bushfire standard which is determined by the type of vegetation, the distance between the building and vegetation and the slope of the ground. The planning elements include the appropriate separation (Asset Protection Zone), positioning and protection of water, electricity and gas supplies, as well as landscaping features and emergency management arrangements.
Performance based solutions are required when your development does not meet the base-line prescribed bushfire compliance requirements. It is a process where further analysis of the elements that mitigate and support bushfire behaviour and protection of assets are assessed. A combination of recommendations is provided which ultimately satisfies the performance criteria of the planning process, although it may not satisfy the specific prescriptions.
Performance based solutions allow flexibility and innovation when responding to site-specific opportunities and constraints while still meeting the identified performance criteria.
Performance based solutions incorporates a bushfire design briefing and consultation with NSW RFS and client to determine the appropriate assessment pathway. This must be undertaken by an accredited bushfire practitioner and can take several months to complete. Contact our team today if you want to learn more about how we can help!
BPAD Accredited
FPA Bronze Member
BPAD Accredited
FPA Bronze Member
