There is no one answer for protecting buildings against fire attack, rather a combination of methods is the best defence. These include, but are not limited to:

• the correct siting of buildings
• creating barriers and buffer zones around your home
• using the appropriate design and construction methods and materials for new residential buildings.

Queensland has adopted the Australian Standard for the Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas - AS3959 – 2009. AS3959 sets out the requirements for the construction of buildings in bushfire prone areas in order to improve their safety when they are subjected to burning debris, radiant heat or flame contact generated from a bushfire.

You should check with your local council to determine if your property is in a “designated bushfire prone area”. A designated bushfire prone area is land declared by local governments, as likely to be subjected to bushfires.

In the most extreme fire risk areas, measures required for new homes will include:

• a concrete slab
• exterior walls must be constructed of non-combustible materials such as brick veneer or concrete
• non-combustible material on the roof, veranda or deck
• sealed wall and roof joints to guard against ember attacks
• shutters made from aluminium or other non-combustible material, or toughened glass for windows
• door frames made from fire resistant timber, with a weather strip at the base
• metal rather than plastic external trimmings such as vents, guttering and down pipes.

The residential building standard applies to:

• new homes or outbuildings of any construction type such as brick veneer, mud brick and timber
• rebuilding of homes or outbuildings
• repairs to part of a building or outbuilding such as garage, shed or fireplace
• additions to home and outbuildings within six metres of a dwelling​.

Following the late 2018 Bushfires and Heatwave event, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued Special Climate Statement (SCS) 67, titled ‘An extreme heatwave on the tropical Queensland coast’. We worked collaboratively to contribute information relating to the bushfire event and reviewed an analysis of the fire weather during the event.

The SCS publication initiated the co-authoring of study between the BoM Climate Services Division and Queensland Fire and Emergency Service to examine observed fire weather trends, and climate change projections (where practicable) for Queensland. This is to ensure the continued expansion of the evidence base that informs strategic and operational decision-making and planning.

The study report titled ‘Changes to Fire Weather in Queensland’ describes the long-term changes in fire-weather conditions for Queensland across the period 1950-2018, including an assessment of Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) and other relevant climatic variables (rainfall, temperature).

The report provides a whole of State perspective and summaries for the nine climate sub-regions within Queensland. Analyses has also been conducted across the 1989-2018 period to provide additional spatial analysis for the most recent 30-year period and allow for the examination of temporal patterns, i.e. recent versus longer term fire weather trends.

A selection of key findings found in the executive summary include:

• Annually averaged maximum temperatures have risen across the period 1950-2018 for most of the State;
• Annual rainfall has risen over most of the far west and far north of the State, but has declined across the remainder of the state particularly on the east coast;
• Annual accumulated FFDI, highest daily FFDI and incidence of days greater than or equal to FFDI 25 has risen across most of the state, particularly in the South;
• Days greater than or equal to FFDI 25 are occurring earlier in Spring and in the case of the South West on occasion in late Winter. Thus, fire seasons are starting earlier and in some cases finishing later;
• While fire weather characteristics have not been uniform for the period 1950-2018, changes have been more rapid in recent decades (1989-2018); and
• An associated study examining FFDI trends using climate change projections indicate that the trends observed are likely to continue.

Due to the diversity of Queensland’s climate regions, state-wide trends must be treated with caution when using them to describe the trends within any one climate region, e.g. for the State as whole the in-active period of the year for fire weather appears to be narrowing, but this is representative of the active period starting earlier in some regions and ending later in others.

Changes to Fire Weather in Queensland (PDF, 8 MB)

A report from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, prepared for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

The Burning Question is a short documentary that tells the story of bushfire mitigation in Queensland. Outlining the science, the challenges, and the changing world of bushfire mitigation.

The Burning Question calls on our experts and experts from the Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Inspector General of Emergency Management to explain the practices and strategies of bushfire mitigation in Queensland, weather and climate factors that govern the implementation of bushfire mitigation methods, traditional and emerging burning practices and what Queenslanders can do to combat bushfire risk on their own land.

Under the Whole-Of-Government Bushfire plan (PDF, 3 MB), Area Fire Management Groups prepare bushfire risk mitigation plans.

The Bushfire Mitigation Plan identifies the bushfire hazard requiring mitigation within a local government area, with an emphasis on a community’s bushfire interface zones. It also plans and reports mitigation activities and identifies coordination strategies to support a bushfire response.

Refer to the Bushfire Risk Mitigation Plan Template (PDF, 294 KB) for a copy of what is in this plan and the method of the preparation.

What are your responsibilities as a landowner?

Managing Queensland’s bushfire risk is a shared responsibility. However, as a landowner, you are legally responsible for managing bushfire hazards on your property. If a fire starts, you are legally responsible for taking all reasonable steps to report the fire and prevent the fire leaving your property.

What is a bushfire hazard?

A bushfire hazard is the potential fire behaviour characterised by weather, fuel loads and topography.
Fuel load is live or dead vegetation that accumulates in an area, over time. For example, dead leaves and twigs may build up as they fall from trees.

What do you need to do to meet your responsibilities as a landowner?

As a landowner, you must prepare and plan for bushfire hazards by being aware of fire management issues in your area, trimming trees, mowing grass, removing flammable material around your home and clearing vegetation, particularly if your land shares boundaries with bushland.

You must also strike a balance between undertaking these activities and preventing harm to the natural environment and areas of cultural heritage. You can do this through property planning or preparing and implementing a land and water management system.

What can you do to manage bushfire risk on your property?

The Queensland Government’s vegetation clearing laws allow landholders to undertake a range of activities to deal with the threat of a bushfire. In fact, there are a range of clearing activities that you can undertake without requiring a permit to light fire or notifying authorities. Find out more about exempt clearing work.

What are our responsibilities?

If one of our officers becomes aware of a potential bushfire hazard, such as an excessive fuel load, on a particular property, the officer is authorised under the Fire Services Act 1990 to undertake a site inspection to discuss what may be necessary to reduce the risk of bushfire to your property, including:

• improving firebreaks or conducting a hazard reduction burn
• removing or disposing of any vegetation or flammable material
• obtaining and maintaining equipment for firefighting purposes
• ensuring there is an adequate water supply on your property for firefighting purposes, and/or
• ensuring there is a safe escape from the property.

Our officers are authorised to formally direct you to comply with measures considered necessary to protect the community, or to take necessary measures on your behalf, at your cost.

What if you don’t comply?

If an agreement cannot be reached, we may elect to undertake enforcement/compliance action. The initial fine for not complying with such a direction is currently 50 penalty units for individuals. However, if an agreement cannot be reached, more serious penalties may apply under the Fire Services Act 1990, including imprisonment, depending on the seriousness of the offence.

What are your responsibilities under the Environmental Protection Act 1994?

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1994, emergency incidents, such as those involving the release of hazardous materials from fires, vehicle accidents, and spillage of explosive, flammable or toxic chemicals, often involve public safety matters and require an immediate response from emergency services. These types of incidents may also threaten or cause serious or material environmental harm.

What are your responsibilities under local government legislation?

Overgrown vegetation and storage of materials in and around a property are regulated under local government legislation. Before clearing your land, you should check what local vegetation protection laws apply in your area.

Bushfire hazards - Your responsibilities as a landowner (PDF, 283KB) - information sheet

During bushfire season, heavy machinery (or plant) is often used to help contain and extinguish bushfires. In some circumstances, we will request to hire a landowner’s heavy machinery.

What is heavy machinery?

• Dozers
• Graders
• Skidders
• Excavators
• Water tankers
• Other similar equipment.

Earthmoving equipment can be used in multiple scenarios including:

• for direct attack on a low to medium intensity fire
• constructing a fire break
• creating access routes for fire trucks
• dealing with logs, trees or other obstacles.

Do you compensate for machinery hire?

We want to work with a landowner around compensation if:

• we have asked the landowner to hire their heavy machinery for firefighting purposes
• the machinery passes safety checks
• authorisation has been given through the senior on-call officer, who will liaise with our Communications to coordinate use of the machinery, including approved tasking.

Authorisation ensures that government funding is spent in a justified and accountable manner. Following this process means we can be sure about what machinery they have available on the ground to use and where it is located.

If a landowner is a member of their local Rural Fire Brigade, they must still get authorisation through the correct channels.

When will you not compensate for machinery hire?

In Queensland landowners are legally responsible for taking all reasonable steps to report, manage, and prevent a fire leaving their property.

If a landowner chooses to fight a fire on their own property using their own heavy machinery, they will not be compensated.

Other important information

Make sure you know how to contact your neighbours as part of your bushfire preparedness, including where your property neighbours state or local government owned land such as road/rail corridors and national parks as different approaches may exist if using heavy machinery in these circumstances.

For more information, contact your local Rural Fire Brigade.

Heavy machinery at bushfires: usage and compensation (PDF, 348 KB) - information sheet