Fire Safety & Bushfire
Internal fire separation, smoke alarms, and — for bushfire-prone sites — full construction requirements to AS 3959.
Overview
Section 9 covers two distinct concerns. First, internal fire safety: separation between Class 1 dwellings (party walls), separation between dwelling and garage, smoke alarms. Second, external fire — bushfire construction per AS 3959, triggered when the site is in a designated bushfire-prone area.
Key Clauses to expand
On-site Checklist to expand
- Smoke alarms 240V mains-powered with battery backup
- Interconnected if more than one
- Located in or near every bedroom and on each storey
- FRL of party walls correct (typically 60/60/60 to AS 1530.4)
- Garage-to-house wall and door rated where required
- BAL construction requirements applied to windows, decks, subfloor, roof
Common Gotchas to expand
- Smoke alarm in kitchen (false alarms) — must be outside cooking area
- Battery-only alarms in new builds (not compliant)
- Missing self-closer on garage-to-dwelling door
- Timber decking on a BAL-29+ site
- Skylights in BAL-rated roofs without proper rating
Notes & Examples to fill in
Add worked examples, diagrams, photos and project-specific notes here as you accumulate them.