Agricultural Fire Management Guidelines - Guide to Rural ...

Section 3 Advice14. Building and propertyaccessGood building and property access for fi refi ghting isimportant for effective fi re suppression.a. Building and property accessFor good tanker access to buildings and key assets,maintain a turning circle with a minimum radius of 10 m or aT or Y turning area with each leg of the turning area at least8 m long as measured from the centre of the T or Y. Building in a Wildfi re Management Overlay Applicant’s Kit (CFA2007)Where practical, ensure that the property number is clearlyvisible at the property entrance for emergency services.Where practical and environmentally responsible, ensurethat fi re tankers can access each part of a property. Thismay not be practical in some terrain or with some blocks ofnative vegetation.b. Access tracksGenerally, access tracks should:• be free of overhanging trees and shrubs to a height of 4 m;• be at least 7 m wide to allow two tankers to pass, or be 4m wide and have passing bays every 200 m that are 6 mwide and 20 m long;• have an average slope of no more than 1 in 7 (8.1degrees) with a maximum grade of no more than 1 in 5(11.3 degrees) for no more than 50 m;• have dips with no more than 1 in 8 (7.1 degrees) entryand exit angles;• be capable of a load limit of at least 15 tonnes;• be aligned to provide straight through access atjunctions; and• be sign posted if visibility is poor due to terrain orvegetation. Building in a Wildfi re Management Overlay Applicant’s Kit (CFA2007)Avoid dead-ends where practical. If they are necessary, theyshould be sign posted and a turnaround point provided.Allow for, or manage, the growth of trees and brancheswhen planning access tracks.Reducing adjacent fuel loads can increase the benefi ts andsafety of access tracks. Consider the opportunity for accesstracks to double as fuel breaks.50 On the Land: Agricultural Fire Management Guidelines