The frequency of major and catastrophic bushfires in Australia appears to be increasing. It is important that the managers of facilities are well prepared for potential bushfire events.  We have a long history of completing fire management projects for land and property managers with more than 20 years experience in consulting to a variety of clients. Our staff have hands-on experience in national park management, fire fighting and incident management.

The benefit of working with Travers bushfire & ecology is that we can cover all aspects of bushfire management. You will be dealing with experts qualified in bushfire and science.

Planning for Emergencies in Facilities

The Australian Standard AS 3745 – 2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities identifies the importance of having evacuation plans in place for facilities with a potential bushfire threat. Currently evacuation plans are not mandatory, however, in the event of an incident it would be industry best practice to have a Bushfire Evacuation Plan in place.

Pre-incident planning enables potential issues to be addressed in advance of any emergency incident enabling staff and occupants to be familiar with correct emergency procedures. Planning can also identify any shortfalls in equipment or facilities that need addressing.

Asset Protection Zones

It is essential that facilities have adequate asset protection zones to provide protection to buildings, to provide for the safe evacuation of occupants and to enable a defendable space for fire-fighters. This generally involves an assessment of bushfire risk based on the nature of the vegetation adjoining the site and the slope of surrounding land. We can recommend any vegetation management required to bring the site to Rural Fire Service standards and, with our ecological background, can undertake any environmental assessment that is required.

Building Construction Standards

Our services can also include provision of advice on building construction standards in accordance with Australian Standard AS3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas. This may include recommendations for protection for windows and prevention of ember attack to exposed eaves and underfloor areas.

Key Elements of Evacuation Planning

A standard bushfire evacuation plan typically involves;

• The identification of emergency roles for staff
• Key considerations in an emergency
• Triggers for evacuation
• Identification of “Safe Refuge Areas”
• Identification of evacuation routes
• Any equipment and training recommendations.

Examples of recent projects include;

• Bushfire Emergency Evacuation Plan for the Elanora Uniting Venues conference centre, the Uniting Church in Australia.
• Bushfire Emergency Evacuation Plan for the Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre, NSW Communities.
• Bushfire Emergency Evacuation Plan for Murrays Beach Community, Stockland Pty Ltd.
• Evacuation Management Plan, Gosford City Council