Admission and Unit Information - Graduate Certificate in Bushfire Protection

This unit describes the factors affecting bushfire behaviour and the models which are used to predict bushfire behaviour, the principles of fire ecology, and the assessment of bushfire hazards on property and the environment. Topics include the measurement of fuel, rates of spread and flame length equations, fire danger indices and landscape issues, topographical influences on fire behaviour, the importance of fire regimes and fire thresholds on flora and fauna, habitat and fire impacts on environmental services such as soils and water catchments. The role of fire behaviour in determining impacts on structures is also described.

This unit describes the techniques, hardware and extinguishing agents used to fight and control bushfires and focuses on the logistics involved in ensuring safe, efficient and effective control. The content includes bushfire fighting strategies in the context of rural and interface environments, hazard reduction, brigade structure and incident control arrangements. The role of planning in supporting fire fighting is also considered.

This unit describes the basis for the design and construction of buildings to withstand bushfire attack, the measures that can be incorporated into building design to achieve this and the legislative building requirements affecting bushfire environments. The unit examines the mechanisms of bushfire attack on structures, the role of landscaping on building survival and how materials perform in the presence of a bushfire event. The unit describes the role of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and Australian Standards in the construction of various building types and the legislative and regulatory environment in which this operates.

This unit describes the general planning issues relevant to developments in rural and urban areas. The content covers the factors important in determining the allocation and use of land and resources together with the contributions of development to the built and natural environment. Topics include: urban and rural design issues; the impact of the 3 tiers of Government process on development control, and the legal, political and technical issues relevant to impact assessments. Particular attention will be paid to the role of the private sector in developing controls, self regulation and appeal processes. Planning in both the micro and macro environments is examined in the context of sustainability, community resources and its strategic effects on the recycling of existing land and non-renewable natural resources. Hazardous environments such as bush fires, floods, earthquakes and cyclone are also considered.