BAL Reports and Bushfire Hazard Management Plans
Service areas: North East Tasmania, including Scottsdale, Derby, Pioneer, Gladstone, Musselroe Bay, Anson’s Bay, Bridport, Tomahawk, St Helens, Binalong Bay, Scamander, St Marys, Pyengana, Swansea and surrounding areas, as well as George Town and Launceston.
I am a provisionally accredited Bushfire Hazard Practitioner with Tasmania Fire Service.
What I do
Visit your site and carry out a detailed assessment
Assess the property and surrounding land in line with AS 3959-2018 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas
Work out the Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) for your build using Method 1 of AS 3959-2018
Prepare Bushfire Emergency Plans for businesses
What you get
A BAL report and Bushfire Hazard Management Plan, with options for lowering the BAL where possible.
What I can help with
I can provide a BAL report if you are planning to:
Build a single house
Extend an existing house
Build a shed, carport or deck
Build an ancillary dwelling, such as a granny flat or home office
I can’t provide BAL reports for units, subdivisions or commercial buildings, but I can prepare Bushfire Emergency Plans for businesses.
Bushfire Emergency Plans
Some businesses in bushfire-prone areas need a Bushfire Emergency Plan as part of their planning or building approval. This usually applies to places where people may need help to get out safely, such as:
Visitor accommodation (cabins, glamping, B&Bs, retreats, campgrounds)
Childcare centres and schools
Aged care and health facilities
Function and event venues
Your plan includes:
A Bushfire Emergency Plan on the current Tasmania Fire Service template
A one-page Bushfire Action Plan for each building, ready to display for guests and staff
A map showing your nearest safer places and offsite refuges
A Form 55 for your building surveyor
Plans need to be reviewed every 12 months, and sooner if anything changes on the site. I can also review and update an existing plan.
How long will it take?
Every report and plan is reviewed by Tasmania Fire Service before it’s issued, so please allow up to 6 weeks. If you have a deadline, let me know when you get in touch.
How much will it cost?
Fees depend on the size and location of your project. Send me your address and a short description of what you’re planning, and I’ll give you a quote. Not sure what to send? See the FAQ further down this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about BAL reports, Bushfire Hazard Management Plans and Bushfire Emergency Plans in North East Tasmania.
A BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) report measures how much ember attack, radiant heat and flame your building could be exposed to in a bushfire. The result, from BAL-LOW to BAL-FZ, sets the construction standard for your build.
If your property is in a bushfire-prone area, you'll usually need one for a new home, an extension, a shed or a granny flat. You can check your property on the PlanBuild Tasmania portal, or contact me and I'll check it for you.
A Bushfire Hazard Management Plan (BHMP) is a site plan that shows what's needed to protect your building: the managed area around it, access for fire trucks, and a firefighting water supply. Your building surveyor needs it with your BAL report.
Please allow up to 6 weeks. As a provisionally accredited practitioner, each report I prepare is reviewed by Tasmania Fire Service before it's issued.
North East Tasmania, including Scottsdale, St Helens, Bridport, Gladstone, Derby, Tomahawk, Binalong Bay, Scamander, St Marys and surrounding areas including George Town and Launceston.
To get started, please send me:
The property address (and PID if you have it), with directions if the site is hard to find
A site plan showing where the building will go, with distances to the boundaries (a PDF is ideal)
Your title documents, including the Folio Text and Folio Plan, and any easements, covenants or agreements on the title
Any earlier bushfire report or council approval for the lot, if there is one
Your contact details: postal address, mobile and email
It also helps if the building corners are pegged or marked out before my site visit. Please let me know if gates are locked, if there are dogs or stock on the property, or if the site needs 4WD access.
If your site plan isn't ready yet, that's fine. I can still assess the site and show a building area on the Bushfire Hazard Management Plan instead.
If you run visitor accommodation, a childcare centre, school, aged care facility or event venue in a bushfire-prone area, your council may ask for one as part of your planning or building approval. Get in touch with your address and what you’re planning, and I can let you know.
At least every 12 months, and whenever something changes on the site, such as new buildings, staff changes, water supply or access.