IN THE FIELD
Vegetation Classification BAL Assessment in progress
Have you used EcoForm's free BAL Estimator, NaTHERS Star Estimator or Commercial Compliance Check?
Try the Calculator Now!Accredited by the FPAA and trusted throughout WA, EcoForm's bushfire consultants deliver tailored, compliant reports that provide a clear understanding of local bushfire risk and planning policies.
AccreditationFPAA Bushfire Planning & Design Level 1 to 3 Practitioner
DocumentationBAL Assessments, Bushfire Management Plans (BMP), Bushfire Emergency Plans (BEP) and Performance Solutions.
CoverageWA and NT bushfire-prone areas.
Method 1 and 2 BAL Assessments for development applications, including on-site vegetation classification and written report.
A site-specific plan setting out the bushfire management measures required for the development.
Emergency plans for vulnerable use buildings, so that you're prepared for a bushfire event.
Engineered alternatives for sites that exceed BAL-40 where DTS construction simply isn’t feasible.
If you have a project in a bushfire-prone area, Bushfire Smart provides expert bushfire planning assessments tailored to your development stage and risk level. All reports are prepared by FPAA-accredited practitioners and align with State Planning Policy 3.7 (SPP 3.7) and the relevant Australian Standards.
A BAL assessment determines the level of bushfire risk your building faces — from embers, radiant heat, and direct flame. The assessment assigns a rating based on vegetation type, proximity, and slope, and dictates the construction standards required under AS 3959 and the Building Code of Australia. The starting point for most development applications in bushfire-prone areas.
A Bushfire Management Plan outlines how bushfire risk will be assessed, managed, and mitigated for your property. It is a key requirement for development applications in bushfire-prone areas, particularly for subdivisions, grouped dwellings, or rural-residential proposals.
Most often accompanying a BMP, a Bushfire Emergency Plan (BEP) provides clear, user-friendly instructions for people in Vulnerable Use developments, such as aged care homes, childcare centres, tourist accommodation, and detention facilities, to prepare for and respond to a bushfire.
Engineered alternatives for sites that exceed BAL-40 (Flame Zone) where Deemed-to-Satisfy construction is not feasible and a performance-based path is needed.
Bushfire regulations can be confusing — and it's easy to be told you need a different report than the one your home actually requires. Talk to us and we'll work out which of these applies.
Identifies the severity of a home's potential exposure to ember attack, radiant heat and direct flame contact. The starting point for most owner-builder projects in bushfire-prone areas.
A site-specific plan setting out the bushfire management measures required for your home. Often required by the planning authority at DA stage.
For vulnerable-use sites such as small-scale accommodation, child-care or tourism uses — how occupants would safely evacuate in a fire event.
Engineered alternatives for sites that exceed BAL-40 (Flame Zone) where Deemed-to-Satisfy construction is not feasible and a performance-based path is needed.
A Bushfire Attack Level rating measures how exposed a building would be to a fire event: including ember attack, radiant heat and direct flame. Here’s the process involved:
We map and classify every vegetation type within 150 m of the building envelope. This includes forest, woodland, scrub and grassland to AS 3959 definitions.
We measure the effective slope under each vegetation class, as well as the distance between the vegetation and the proposed build. These are some of the main factors that drive the BAL rating.
We will give the property a rating: BAL-LOW, 12.5, 19, 29, 40 or FZ, which will outline the construction requirements for the build.
We provide risk-reduction advice for the rating, including if further documentation is required. Once completed, you'll have the documentation your planning authority needs to approve the development.
A BAL rating is the start of the conversation, not the end. After we issue your assessment, we supply an in-depth analysis of how to reduce the bushfire threat to your property and explain what each step means for the build and the budget.
For some projects, this means progressing to a Bushfire Management Plan (BMP) or a Performance Solution. Vulnerable developments may also require a Bushfire Emergency Plan (BEP). With Level 2 and 3 BPAD Assessors, we have the ability to smoothly progress the project through these different stages, if they are required.
We stay available through the design and build to answer questions as they come up, particularly when designs change and the rating needs to be re-checked.
Your BAL rating determines the requirements for building materials, including framing, seals, glazing, screens and decking.
Sometimes setting the house back, reshaping the envelope or changing the cleared area can drop a rating one band saving meaningful construction cost.
Developments that are rated BAL-FZ will need to progress to a BMP. This is further documentation that ensures your construction is safe to build in a bushfire prone area. It may also outline additional property management requirements before and after your build.
Developments that plan to be subdivided, commercial or vulnerable use will need to progress to a BMP. It will outline additional property management requirements before and after your build - as well as what can and cannot be subdivided or developed.
If the site sits in BAL-FZ and DTS construction won’t work, we engineer an alternative pathway preserving the project's feasibility.
For vulnerable-use sites, BEPs are created to explain how guests, residents or students unfamiliar with the area would safely evacuate the facility.
At times, bushfire regulations can be confusing — leaving you unsure what reports you actually need or what action satisfies the planning authority. EcoForm has all levels of Bushfire Practitioners in-house and can take on jobs from simple to complex.
Talk to us early in the project. We'll let you know which of our reports is right and sequence them so they land when the planning authority, certifier, or WAPC needs them.