Ferm assists with QBCC deadline
Ferm Engineering has been assisting building owners and managers across Queensland to meet a deadline for cladding reports imposed by the Qld Building & Construction Commission (QBCC).
Regulations required building owners whose buildings met certain criteria to complete a building fire safety risk assessment and combustible cladding checklist and provide a fire engineer statement by 3 May 2021.
The process, part 3B of the Safer Buildings program, required a fire engineer to determine whether a building was a cladding fire risk and show what mitigation had been applied.
Ferm has shepherded about 50 buildings through the part 3B process to meet the deadline. It was a difficult undertaking, with diverse buildings and owner relationships.
Buildings with potentially dangerous cladding now need QBCC and Qld Fire & Emergency Services sign off on solutions that include full removal of cladding, partial removal, or removal only from high-risk areas under a performance solution.
Ferm is one of the few engineering companies offering performance engineering solutions that reduce the need for full cladding removal. Solutions may include adding supplementary sprinklers, more fire detection methods, better protection for egress paths, repairs to fire systems, and eliminating maintenance defects.
Ferm CEO Steve Burton said clients appreciated the Ferm team guiding them through the part 3B requirements. “Some said they learn more in 15 minutes with a Ferm engineer than months of ploughing through information on QBCC’s website.”