But, by ensuring your new home is up to up to fireproof standard, you will have a much stronger chance of evacuating your home in a nightmare scenario.
A Greater Shepparton City Council spokesperson said if a property is in a declared bushfire-prone area, and if a dwelling is proposed to be built on this property, it will require a building permit.
“As part of this process, a Bushfire Attack Level assessment of the pr operty is required to be carried out by an appropriate consultant; the BAL assessment determines what the relevant BAL rating would be,” the spokesperson said.
“The process for BAL assessment first requires the surrounding vegetation to be determined and classified, and then the slope of the land and the distance of the proposed dwelling from the vegetation is also calculated.
“It is the distance of the proposed dwelling from the vegetation that determines the relevant BAL level. This can range from BAL-Low, BAL-12.5, BAL-19, BAL-29, BAL-40 or BAL-FZ (flame zone).
“The further away a dwelling is from the vegetation reduces the BAL rating.
“Under Victorian legislation, even if a property is rated as BAL-Low, it is still required to be built to BAL-12.5 requirements.
“It must be kept in mind that this process does not make the dwelling bushfire-proof, but it helps in resisting ember attack.”
It’s not just new home builders who need to be conscious of fire issues. Owners of existing homes must make sure they have working smoke alarm systems.
Lucas White, from GV Fire Alarms in Shepparton, says 75 per cent of houses he inspects for the first time either have an outdated, incorrectly positioned or no smoke alarm.
Lucas said there were three main dates to consider for smoke alarm standards:
If your house is built prior to 1997, you must have one functional battery-operated smoke alarm.
If your house is built between 1997 and 2013, your house must include a hardwired smoke alarm with a battery back-up.
If your house has been built from 2014 onwards, you must have at least two smoke alarms that are interconnected.
And if you’re spending at least $25 000 renovating your house, you need to bring it up to the most recent standard.
Lucas said placement of new smoke alarms would depend on the house layout.
“Regardless of whether smoke alarms are battery-powered or hardwired, many people aren’t aware their smoke alarm has a 10-year lifetime,” he said.
“A lot of alarms have dates on them, and it’s recommended to change the batteries every 12 months.
“Check the date if it’s on your smoke alarm, because it’s important to make sure a lifesaving product works properly.”
Smoke alarms are low-cost and will give you a strong chance of evacuating your house in a fire.
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