Bushfire Resilient Building Guidance for Queensland Homes

Background: A 140 page illustrated document developed to support a state-wide effort in mitigating catastrophic impacts from bushfires, and to provide additional assistance in developing resilient communities throughout Queensland. The publication describes methods of defining the bushfire related risks that houses are exposed to and outlines the architectural and landscape design feature to mitigate against those risks. Significance: The report was commissioned by the State Government of Queensland and the principle content was provided by the CSIRO Land & Water Division. The document is unique in an international context because it 1. It defines and clarifies key terminology which was hitherto ambiguous and misunderstood, 2. sets out a novel means of defining bushfire risk in the housing context, which is unique in that landscape and site related vulnerabilities are defined for the first time, and 3.it then provides - by way of explicit illustrations and case study documentation - an extremently comprehesive guidance on how to mitigate against those risks. Impact: The document has been widely disseminated to peak governing bodies, emergency authorities, industry organisations and the general public. It will become the template for future publications in the other states and territories in Australia.