# Forum More Stuff Debate & Technical Discussion  BAL and AS 3959

## toooldforthis

did a search and didn't find much, or anything recent. 
do I have to pay a couple of hundred dollars to download the AS3959 to get to the BAL info? 
and how readable are they? 
just looking to get a heads up re options before maybe talking to a designer/draughtsman. Also the info will be helpful to assess how clued in that person is to BAL requirements.  *Bloss* posted this very helpful link back in 2011 to a download that shows options for doors and windows http://www.renovateforum.com/f76/hig...63/#post830734 
Something like that for other components, like cladding, external stairs etc would be very useful. 
I am sure I had read some posts that linked to free info for the Vic BAL requirements that came in after their fire tragedies but can't find it now. 
tia.

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## toooldforthis

just thought I would give a gentle bump to this. 
particularly interested in any info on cladding, and timber frame versus steel frame.

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## intertd6

Try this quick guide. Timber In Bushfire Prone Areas | Harper Timber Building with timber in bushfire-prone areas on WoodSolutions
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## toooldforthis

an overview of what is in AS3959 re BAL... 
BAL12.5   
BAL 19   
BAL 29   
BAL 40   
Notes on external buildings:

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## ringtail

So who actually gives the property its BAL rating ? I think the rural fire brigade does it up here and not council.

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## woodbe

CFS here. Takes ages.

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## toooldforthis

> So who actually gives the property its BAL rating ? I think the rural fire brigade does it up here and not council.

  In Perth (WA?) there are BAL Assessors now. $495.
some councils want a Bushfire Management Statement as well $165. 
I am not sure what their background for quals is. The one I spoke to seem a bit vague what was in them ... "_it is a bit hard to explain"_ ... And when council required them - at plan approval or build approval? Not sure how many he had done  :Rolleyes:

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## Mike8136

Anyone can do the BAL assessment (if you have got AS3959). I did ours. Council send it off to CFS for their review. Ours actually came back at BAL12.5 when we assessed it at BAL19.

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## ringtail

Good to know. How much is the AS to buy ?

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## Godzilla73

The catalogue alone is $70, and that's just so you know where to look. Each volume is 4-5 hundred dollars.

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## ringtail

Bollocks to that then

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## intertd6

> Bollocks to that then

   The HIA has them, if you're a member you ring up their technical advice number & they will work it out for you or send the relevant copies
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## ringtail

Pffffft, HIA. As bad as Master Builders. Pay lots of dollars and get a sticker for the ute and not much else. The Halal tick for the building industry  :Wink:

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## toooldforthis

yeah, getting the info is a bit tricky, especially if you just want an overview.
I doubt my local council would take a DIY assessment; especially where I live. 2 fires within 200 metres of the corner post this past summer alone. 
Having delved into it I am not sure what the enforcement of BAL is about.
in a proper bushfire BAL 29 or 40 isn't going to save your house, might give you an extra 15 minutes to escape - which is probably not a bad thing?
if the house isn't burnt to the ground it would be sufficiently damaged to be knocked down.
maybe a higher BAL build slows the progress of the fire? 
I am not saying the assessment is a bad thing, just the enforcement in the build. If you had a low BAL rating on your build in a high BAL area then it could be reflected in your insurance premiums. Or paint the number on the roof so the firies know not to bother trying to save it. 
I am wondering how council would fare if I had a  heritage listing - the conflict between BAL and Heritage would send the bureaucrats mental. 
ps: when I ask for new posts (since last visit) a lot of stuff doesn't come up; like this thread - what gives there? At the risk of going off topic  :Shock:

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## ringtail

The real kicker is it's 100% insurance company driven. It's never been about saving lives. Giving RFS/CFA time to get your house to minimise the pay outs for insurance companies.

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## phild01

My point always, insurance companies are a liability to the community.  The cost to us far outweighs money saved.

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## ringtail

Indeed.

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## PhilT2

> My point always, insurance companies are a liability to the community.  The cost to us far outweighs money saved.

  Friends have a child injured in a car accident; who, if not an insurer, should pay for her lifelong care?

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## intertd6

> Pffffft, HIA. As bad as Master Builders. Pay lots of dollars and get a sticker for the ute and not much else. The Halal tick for the building industry

  just their technical advice service saves the cost of the membership, apart from that they don't rate much after selling out the builders they were suppose to be representing by supporting the HOW scheme, which by the way the Master Builders totally opposed the hopeless scheme! Then a leading builder called up the state govt & told them if they didn't make high rise unit developments HOW exempt 30,000 construction related workers would be unemployed come next Monday! Guess what is HOW exempt from no help from the industry associations.
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## ringtail

Technical advice service ? That's a joke right ?

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## intertd6

> Technical advice service ? That's a joke right ?

  unless they have dropped the service it was excellent, I still have folders of the excerpt copies of the standards & BCA information they sent me.
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## toooldforthis

https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/documents...b-460012aa166e  A guide to retroﬁt your home for better protection from a bushﬁre.  Introduction 3
Is Retroﬁtting Mandatory? 4
Bushﬁre Risk 5
Bushﬁre Attack Level (BAL) 6
Cost & Implementation Guide 8
Retroﬁt provisions relating  10 to ember attack 
Retroﬁt provisions for radiant heat 16 exposure corresponding to BAL-LOW 
Retroﬁt provisions for radiant heat 16 exposure corresponding to BAL-12.5
Retroﬁt provisions for radiant heat 18 exposure corresponding to BAL-19
Retroﬁt provisions for radiant heat 20 exposure corresponding to BAL-29
Retroﬁt provisions for radiant heat 25 exposure corresponding to  BAL-40 & direct ﬂame BAL-FZ
Sprinkler systems  26
Private Bushﬁre Shelters   27 (Bushﬁre bunkers)

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