If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that bushfires are becoming more frequent and more intense with every season.
Just last year, over 3000 homes were destroyed and 17 million hectares of land were scorched.
Taking the right precautions when building or upgrading your shed is crucial to avoid potential risks down the track.
Here’s what to look out for when building fire-resistant sheds this season.
Why Do Sheds Need To Be Fire Resistant
While many of us take precautions with maintaining firebreaks, cladding homes, and regulating fuel loads, in all the rush to secure and fireproof our homes, it’s often the shed that gets forgotten about.
Forgetting to fire-proof your shed can be a major mistake. If your shed is anywhere near your home – direct flames, heat from the steel, or embers can easily cause the fire to leap from your shed to your home. Protecting your property and indeed your house from the threat of fires means protecting your shed too.
Know If You’re In A Bushfire Prone Area
Many people don’t know if they live in a bushfire prone area. After all, what exactly is a fire prone area?
Check out this map of the fire prone areas in and around Perth.
You might be surprised.
In fact, much of Perth’s outer suburbs fall within this risk area, which is proving to be ever more dangerous as the effects of climate change start to be felt. If you’re building a shed in or next to a fire prone area – make sure you know how to minimise the risk.
Are There Any Exacerbating Factors?
When building a shed in a fire prone area – it’s important to know if any factors might make your property particularly prone to fire risk. For example, if your shed is:
- Situated on a slope
- Close to your house
- Nearby or surrounding dense forest
- In an area with a history of fires
Observe Basic Precautions
Ensuring your shed is bushfire safe can come down to the basics. And while there won’t be much you can do if a large uncontrolled bushfire comes raging through, there are ways you can up your chances of getting through unscathed. Let’s get some basics out of the way:
- Organise and reduce the number of flammable materials you store in your shed – especially during the fire season. It’s good to minimise the amount of dry wood, hay, flammable liquids like fuels and chemicals, and oils.
- If you’re storing firewood outside or up against the walls of your shed, you may want to shift this somewhere else during the summer.
- Clean your gutters! Any dry leaves and twigs left in shed gutters or on the roof can become a fire hazard, and in unlucky conditions can become embers that could further endanger your shed along with your property.
- Ensure you remove any unnecessary fuel loads surrounding your shed and around your property. Pruning, cutting back, and trimming large trees that may have foliage near your shed or between your shed and your property can provide an added layer of security.
Ensure An Asset Protection Zone
Even better than pruning back trees is actually removing all potential fire hazards between your shed and your main house. Ensuring a buffer or asset protection zone between your shed and potential fuel loads is also advisable. This will reduce the chances of flying embers or direct flames reaching your main home and protect your property from potential disaster. In general, 20 metres between your shed and house is a good starting point, however, it’s always good to consult with your shed builder about your obligations.
Know Your Bushfire Attack Level
If you are planning on building in a fire prone area, you’ll need to meet certain regulations and guidelines, which are laid out in the Building Code of Australia. A Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment is important in determining what kind of safeguards and standards need to be met to satisfy the minimum standards for fire resistant sheds. But when it comes to protecting your livelihood, minimum standards should always be set as high as possible.
Build With The Right Materials
Using high-quality materials is a must in fire prone areas. A poorly constructed shed won’t stand a chance in a close brush with a bushfire. To protect your investment, and ensure the security of your assets, make sure to choose a shed builder who uses premium, Australian-made Bluescope Steel and Colorbond cladding. These materials are designed and made for the hot Australian climate and will stand the best chance in a bushfire.
Choose A Shed Builder Who Knows Their BAL Requirements
If you live in or near a fire prone area, it’s good to choose a shed builder who will take care of your BAL compliance for you.
Building a fire resistant shed is an important investment for many, so make sure you get it right from the start. Get in contact with a qualified shed builder today.
When it comes to bushfires, you don’t want to take the risk.
