CEO joins fire standards committee

Ferm Engineering CEO Steve Burton has again been appointed to an Engineers Australia standards committee that is updating the 2012 bushfire spray sprinkler standard.

AS5414 sets out general requirements for the design, installation and maintenance of water spray systems intended to provide an enhanced degree of building protection against bushfire exposure, including ember attacks, together with limited protection against radiant heat exposure.

Steve says the standard particularly needs upgrading for inclusion in the Building Code of Australia (BCA) for class 2, 3 and 9 buildings, which include schools, child-care centres and sports and entertainment facilities.

“The current BCA 2022 code is in ‘no man’s land’ for commercial buildings because insufficient research has been done,” he says. AS5414 is predominantly for protection of class 1 residential buildings with limited application to larger classes.

The updated AS5414 code needs to be harmonised with AS3959, which details requirements for the design and construction of class 1 buildings and structures in bushfire-prone areas.

While compliance with the current AS5414 assists in survivability in bushfires, new spray systems can significantly reduce the rebuilding process after fires, which limits costs for insurers.

“That’s something AS3959 does not address. The future National Construction Code 2025 will need to proactively adopt these new standard updates to benefit communities in bushfire areas,” Steve says.