What does a Bushfire Consultant do? | With Matthew Willis - Episode 8 (Season 4)

I speak with Matthew Willis of Bushfire Planning Services. Matt is a Bushfire Consultant, and will be sharing with us when you require this role in your renovation or building project.  

Now before you think: Bushfire Consultant? Why would I need a Bushfire Consultant? I don’t live near the bush, I don’t have any bush nearby, and fire isn’t an issue for my property.   

Wait. 

Surprisingly you don’t need to live right near a large area of bush to be impacted by a bushfire risk. 

In fact, I first connected with my guest for this episode when looking at a suburban home in Sydney. The Bushfire risk come up in my early council searches, even though this home didn’t look like it was anywhere near any significant bush.  

However, the site did back onto a narrow reserve. And then that reserve was this thin sliver of treed area than gradually connected into larger bush area, and then National Park. And that posed a bushfire risk to this property, and hence brought about the bushfire overlay.   

I’ve had a similar experience with a property in Perth that was simply located in a suburban area where each block was quite steep, had significant trees on it, and there was a reserve nearby. 

And if you’re in a regional location, you may also be aware that you have a bushfire risk to manage for your property.  

So, let me introduce Matthew Willis. Matt is a Bushfire Consultant and Principal at Bushfire Planning Services.  

Bushfire Planning Services is an established and professional consultancy firm specialising in Bushfire Risk Assessments and compliance issues, mainly within NSW. 

With over 15 years’ experience in the bushfire mitigation and compliance industry and with thousands of successfully approved projects, Bushfire Planning Services is one of the most experienced companies in the industry today.  

They have extensive knowledge of the finer points of the NSW requirements for building in bushfire prone areas, types of products available for construction and the requirements of the Australian Standard for building in bushfire prone areas.  

Matt personally has extensive knowledge of construction methods and materials gained through 10 years of prior involvement in the building industry.   

And he was a Fire fighter with the New South Wales Fire Brigade (now New South Wales Fire and Rescue) and is also one of the first people in Australia to gain a Post Graduate Degree in Planning for Bushfire Prone Areas. 

Matt has also sat on industry committees with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and has a good working relationship with both the RFS and many local councils. 

Over the years Bushfire Planning Services have established good working relationships with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and local councils alike. This allows them to discuss projects prior to submission, which in turn allows for a smooth passage through the approval process, saving time, money and heartache. 

This is a great opportunity for us to understand more about how a Bushfire Consultant can help you and what you may need to be aware of if this is something to consider for your property. 

This is about the WHO, the WHAT, the WHEN and the WHY of using a Bushfire Consultant for your renovation or building project. So, let’s get into the episode. 

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