Fire Safety Management in
Bushfire-Prone Buildings
Backup Generator Provision
NCC 2022 Volume 2
Area of NCC Requirements:
- S43C12 – Fire Safety Management
- Type B Construction
The Challenge
Designing for bushfire resilience goes beyond simply hardening the exterior of a building. Under the NCC, buildings in bushfire-prone areas must also consider how critical systems will operate during and after the event.
For certain projects, the code requires that emergency power is available to support air handling and safety systems for a set duration—both before and after the passing of a fire front. This requirement ensures that life-safety systems remain functional when they are needed most.
What This Really Means
The intent is straightforward: in the chaos of a bushfire, emergency power must keep crucial systems running long enough to assist safe evacuation and firefighting operations. That means smoke control systems, alarms, hydrants, and lighting cannot fail at the exact moment they are needed.
But here’s the catch—these provisions can become particularly onerous in settings such as schools located in bushfire-prone areas. The likelihood of a school being occupied at the height of a bushfire event is low, given that extreme fire weather often occurs outside standard school hours or during enforced closures. Yet, the code still demands a level of system redundancy that treats these facilities as if they were at peak occupancy in the middle of a fire front.
This creates tension between the practical risk profile and the strict prescriptive requirements—leading to significant design and cost implications for facilities that may, in reality, be empty during the most critical fire periods.
The Solution
The performance pathway adopted was not a compromise—it was an equal or superior outcome to the prescriptive NCC provisions. The design was carefully assessed to ensure:
- Air handling systems were programmed to safely shut down in the event of fire through an integrated detection system, removing the risk of smoke circulation.
- Alarm and monitoring systems remained live back to brigade level, providing uninterrupted communication and response capability.
- Emergency lighting, hydrants, and other safety services were fully justified and designed to maintain functionality under bushfire conditions.
By addressing each performance requirement through expert judgement and comparative DTS analysis, the solution proved that the system not only met but in some respects exceeded the NCC’s intent. Instead of applying generic rules, it delivered a tailored outcome that was safer, more reliable, and better aligned with the building’s actual use and risk profile.
Why This Matters
Bottom line:
Every site and project has different bushfire risks—terrain, access, vegetation, and building use all change the equation. The Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions in the BCA are necessarily generic, but they can struggle to match the unique conditions of individual projects.
Performance Solutions Australia works with builders, designers, and architects to deliver fire safety outcomes that satisfy compliance while unlocking innovative, project-specific approaches. The result: safer buildings, more resilient systems, and design solutions that are not just equal to the NCC—but often better.