Bushfire Testing

Bushfire testing services

Warringtonfire’s NATA accredited Australian laboratory has extensive experience in bushfire testing.

Bushfires in Australia are very common.  Although they don’t always end in a catastrophe, they do present real and immediate danger to life safety and property in bushfire prone areas. Therefore, subjecting elements of construction and products to simulated bushfire conditions is an effective risk mitigation strategy and ensures that products are compliant and fit for purpose.

What is a bushfire?

A bushfire is defined as an out of control vegetation fire (including grass fires, forest fires and scrub fires), which may have been deliberately lit, accidentally lit, or started by natural causes. The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements revealed that during the 2019/2020 bushfire season in Australia, over 24 million hectares were burnt and over 3000 homes were destroyed. Estimates of the national financial impact are over $10 billion.

What is bushfire testing ?

Bushfire testing involves subjecting representative specimens or product prototypes to specific test conditions in order to evaluate the performance of elements of construction for buildings in bushfire-prone areas.

Bushfire testing standards

The objective of bushfire testing standards is to provide everyone responsible for building safety with a clear set of guidelines about how to test for the conditions a building can go through during a real bushfire.

AS 1530.8.1 is the bushfire testing standard that provides the methods for assessing the performance of external construction elements when exposed to radiant heat, burning embers and debris. This test simulates the radiant heat from a bushfire and uses small flaming sources to mimic small amounts of accumulated burning organic debris.

Warringtonfire also offers bushfire testing to AS 1530.8.1 and AS 1530.8.2. These standards provide methods for determining the performance of external construction elements when exposed to direct flame impingement from the fire front. It is used to test products that are or may be in direct contact with ‘flame zone’ conditions.

Why Warringtonfire for bushfire testing?

Warringtonfire’s NATA accredited Australian laboratory has extensive experience in fire testing, and was actively involved in the research and development of the two bushfire testing standards – AS 1530.8.1 and AS 1530.8.2.