Fire Hazard Reduction Notice

Remove Dead Flammable Material

Reduce and/or maintain all dead flammable material below 8 tonne per hectare (see definition FUEL LOAD).

Slashing

Slash, mow, or trim dead grasses, dead shrubs, and dead plants to a height no greater than 50mm.

Clean gutters

Gutters, roofs, and walls of all buildings to be free of flammable matter and maintained.

Further, please refer to additional works section.

Firebreaks

Fire Breaks are to be installed or upgraded to:

• 3-metre-wide bare mineral earth,
• 4-metre-high clearance,
• Continuous (no dead ends) and trafficable as close as possible inside the entire perimeter of the land.

Maintained, reticulated living lawns that are kept completely green is acceptable in conjunction with, or in lieu of, a mineral earth fire break/s (see definition FIRE BREAK).

Remove Dead Flammable Material

Reduce and/or maintain all dead flammable material below 8 tonne per hectare (see definition FUEL LOAD).

Slashing

Slash, mow, or trim dead grasses, dead shrubs, and dead plants to a height no greater than 50mm.

Asset Protection Zone

An Asset Protection Zone (APZ) is a buffer zone of area extending around a building where there is reduced flammable material.

Maintain a fuel reduced zone around all buildings or assets which extends 20 metres from the outermost point of the building or asset.

• Gutters, roofs, and walls of all buildings to be free of flammable matter and maintained.
• Fuel load within the 20-metre zone is reduced and maintained to no more than 2 tonne per hectare.
• Trees over 5 metres in height within the 20-metre zone to be under pruned up to 2 metres.
• Trees or shrubs within 2 metres of the asset shall be pruned to a height no greater than 2 metres and/or pruned away from the asset to a distance no greater than 2 metres.

Further, please refer to additional works section.

You may be required to carry out further bushfire property preparedness works on your land to reduce any fire hazards considered necessary by a Fire Officer. If required, these will be outlined in a ‘work order’ and sent to the address of the owner and/or occupier.

If you know, suspect or are unsure whether you live at a property with environmental sensitivities or you plan to clear part of your property you MUST enquire first with the relevant agencies or departments prior to starting any works. There is legislation in place to protect the environment and land in Western Australia and without prior approval or authorisation you may face penalties.

Download Guide for applying the Bushfire Risk Treatment Standards appendix 1 to identify which agency you may need to contact.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANS AND CITY APPROVED TREATMENT PLANS

All properties and/or land subject to a Bushfire Management Plan, Emergency Management Plan, or an approved Bushfire Attack Level assessment (BAL), as a result of subdivision, development application or a City approved treatment plan, must comply with the listed requirements in their entirety. Compliance with any additional plans does  not constitute compliance with this Notice.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND HERITAGE CONDITIONS

Any property subject to environmental and heritage value such as, but not limited to, Threatened Ecological Communities (TEC), Bush Forever sites, Declared Rare Flora and Fauna (DRF) sites and Aboriginal heritage sites, etc. should seek further information about what can or cannot be done prior to carrying out requirements under this Notice.

 

From 1 November until 31 March each year all landowners and/or residents are subject to a fire hazard assessment against the Fire Hazard Reduction Notice by a Fire Control Officer.

Officers aim to strategically assess properties across all suburbs within the City. After a fire hazard assessment is completed and fire hazards have been identified by the Fire Control Officer, you may receive a work order which will outline the actions that need taking.

If you have any questions regarding property preparedness or regarding your work order, contact the City.

Landowners and/or occupiers can engage a contractor to conduct works as outlined on the current Fire Hazard Reduction Notice. It is the landowner and/or occupier’s responsibility to ensure the work is being completed in full and to the requirements on the Notice. It is suggested that the landowner and/or occupier advise the City that a contractor has been booked with the start and end dates to ensure compliance.

For more information on the requirements of the current Notice please download the Guide to Understanding the Fire Hazard Reduction Notice and/or see our Bushfire Safety Information section.

The Notice is distributed and available:

• Each year with your Rates.
• On the City of Kalamunda website.
• At the City of Kalamunda libraries.
• At the City of Kalamunda recreation centres.
• At various community engagement events.
• At the City’s administration office front desk.

Property owners and residents are encouraged to read the Notice in full and keep it on hand in preparation for the fire hazard assessments that commence from 1 November each year.

 

FIRE BREAK

A strip of land free of all flammable material with the intention of minimising the spread or extension of a bushfire and provide safe access on the property for emergency vehicles and other firefighting operations.

• Clearance must be no less than 3-metres wide and 4-metres in height inside and along all boundaries (including boundaries adjacent to roads, rail and drain reserves and all public open space reserves).
• Must not be more than 4-metres wide (further width extensions may be  considered upon written application for approval to the City).
• Maintained, reticulated living lawns are lawns considered to be kept completely green. Driveways may be acceptable in conjunction with, or in lieu of, mineral earth fire breaks. Contact a City Fire Officer for further assistance.
• Must have a corner turning radius of up to 10 metres.
• Must be a mineral earth break with a continuous trafficable surface for a 4WD vehicle, be clear of any obstructions and must not terminate in a cul-de-sac (dead end).

Fuel Load

Can be live and dead vegetation that accumulates over time.

This Notice refers only to dead vegetation.

Fine fuels include = leaf litter, grasses, twigs (up to 6mm diameter), bark etc.
Heavy (course) fuels include = branches, logs, stumps etc.

• A fuel load depth of 15mm (fine fuels) to the mineral earth is indicative of approximately 8 tonne per hectare. The more fuel load, the higher the flame height and increased fire intensity.
• Mulch piles, stored firewood and burn piles can contribute to fuel loading on land and must be stored safely away from assets, removed from the property, or actioned as directed by a Fire Officer.