Fire law welcomed

By Tania Martin
A YARRA Ranges councillor has welcomed the release of national standards for private bushfire bunkers.
Lyster Ward’s councillor Samantha Dunn said many shelters had already been erected in the Dandenongs.
But she said it was hard to say if any were safe.
“It’s really important for us to have these standards to make sure these structures are safe – that they save lives,” Cr Dunn said.
State Planning Minister Justin Madden announced the new national performance standards last Friday, 28 May.
They will replace the interim regulations introduced last year.
But despite the introduction of national standards, Mr Madden said private bunkers could only be considered as an option of last resort.
The new standards have been created in consultation with the Australian Building Codes Board, which has determined private bunkers were required to be separate structures and no longer included as part of a dwelling.
Mr Madden said the standards review considered the merits of having shelters below or within a building but concluded the risks in a fire were too great.
Those wanting to install shelters need a building permit along with a fire safety engineer’s assessment.
A copy of the standards is available by logging on to www.abcb.gov.au.