About
Now he works on the ground, getting Perth Hills and Great Southern properties ready before the season turns.
Where this comes from
Brad's a pilot. He started out as a fire spotter, flying over country in summer looking for smoke and reporting what he could see on the ground.
You learn things doing that. You see how a fire moves through a valley, what it runs at, where it slows down. You see which properties give crews somewhere to stand and fight, and which ones are just more fuel with a house in the middle of it.
From the air, the difference between a block that's been cleared properly and one that hasn't is obvious. It's just as obvious from the ground once you know what you're looking at.
That's the perspective he brings to a quote. It isn't a mowing job with a fire label on it. It's looking at your block and working out how it behaves when things go bad, then doing the work that changes the answer.
Why it's personal
We've lived in the Hills for over fifteen years. We know the sound of sirens going up the highway, the helicopters overhead, and that particular February moment when you smell smoke and start working out which way the wind's blowing.
In 2014 the Parkerville fire came through. We'd been in the house two weeks.
It survived, and we've never pretended that was down to anything we did. The block had been a horse riding school before we bought it, and whoever ran it had kept the firebreaks in. That, and the firefighters who had ground they could actually work from, is the reason we still had a house.
We inherited those firebreaks. We didn't put them in. Two weeks after moving in, we found out they were the only reason the house was still there.
We don't tell that story to scare anyone. Most Hills people have their own version of it. We tell it because getting lucky once is not a plan, and because cleared ground is the part of this you can actually control.
Who we are
The one on your block. Pilot, former fire spotter, and the person who'll walk the property with you and tell you straight what needs doing.
Currently completing BAL accreditation, with the Diploma to follow. That means the same person who clears your block this spring can handle your assessment in November and your management plan after that.
Everything that isn't on the block. Bookings, quotes, invoices, the phone and the inbox.
If you've filled in a form or had a reminder that your yearly clear is coming around again, that's her end of it.
Where we're headed
We're not claiming to be something we aren't yet. Here's exactly where things sit.
Slashing, firebreaks to shire spec, hand-clearing around structures, gutter and roof clearing, and green waste taken away. No accreditation needed for this work, and it's what most blocks need most.
Bushfire Attack Level ratings for building and renovation applications. The course is booked. We'll take bookings once the accreditation is in hand, and not before.
Bushfire Management Plans and fire suppression system design, following the Diploma. That completes the picture: assess it, plan it, prepare it, protect it.
Where we work
We're based in the Perth Hills, which is where most of our work is. We also work across the Great Southern, where we've got family and a long-term plan to end up.
If you're somewhere else in WA, ask anyway. We travel, and we'd rather have the conversation than have you assume the answer.
Free quote, no obligation. We'll walk the property and tell you straight what it needs.
Book a Free QuoteIf you're building in a bushfire-prone area, you'll need a Bushfire Attack Level rating before your application goes anywhere. Get on the list and we'll be in touch as soon as we're accredited.
The basics
A Bushfire Attack Level assessment measures how much bushfire exposure a building site is likely to face. It looks at the vegetation around the site, how far away it is, the slope it sits on, and the fire danger index for the area.
The result is a rating, and that rating determines the construction standard your build has to meet under Australian Standard AS 3959. It's usually one of the first things a shire or building surveyor will ask for.
It matters more than most people expect, because the rating drives real cost. The difference between a low rating and a high one can be tens of thousands of dollars in construction requirements, so getting it assessed properly rather than conservatively is worth actual money.
The ratings
Each level carries different construction requirements. Higher rating, stricter build.
Insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements.
Risk of ember attack. Basic construction requirements apply.
Increasing ember attack and burning debris, with some heat exposure.
Heightened ember attack and burning debris, with increasing heat exposure.
Increased heat exposure, ember attack, and the likelihood of flame contact.
Flame Zone. Direct exposure to flames. The most demanding construction requirements.
If your property is in a designated bushfire-prone area, a BAL is usually required before approval.
A BAL is required as part of the building permit application in bushfire-prone areas. Best done early, because the rating shapes design decisions and budget before you're committed to either.
Significant additions to an existing building generally trigger the same requirement. Worth checking before you finalise plans rather than after.
Habitable outbuildings, granny flats and some larger structures can also require an assessment, depending on the shire and the use.
Creating new lots in a bushfire-prone area usually needs bushfire assessment as part of the planning process, often alongside a management plan.
Replacing a building on an existing site typically requires a current assessment, even where a previous one was done years ago.
Your shire or building surveyor will tell you whether your site is in a designated bushfire-prone area. If you've been asked for a BAL, you need one.
Why Firezone
Most BAL assessors do assessments and nothing else. They arrive, measure the vegetation, produce a rating, and leave.
We do the assessment and the work. That matters because vegetation classification and distance are what set your rating, and in some cases managed vegetation can change where you land on the scale. An assessor who also does clearing can tell you whether that's a realistic option on your block or a waste of time.
Brad also started his flying career as a fire spotter, which means he's spent time looking at how fire actually moves across country rather than only reading about it in a standard.
BAL assessments for statutory purposes must be carried out by an accredited practitioner. Brad's accreditation course is booked and we'll be taking assessments from November 2026.
We're not taking BAL bookings before then, and we won't tell you otherwise. If you need one urgently, we'd rather point you to someone accredited now than string you along.
From November 2026, once accreditation is complete. The course is booked. If you register your interest now we'll contact you as soon as we're taking bookings, and you'll be near the front of the queue.
Tell us and we'll point you toward an accredited assessor who can help now. We'd rather you got it done than waited on us.
The site visit itself is usually an hour or two depending on the size and complexity of the property. The written report follows after that.
Sometimes. The rating is driven by vegetation type, distance and slope, so in some cases managed vegetation or a change to where the building sits can shift the outcome. It depends entirely on the site, and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth pursuing on yours.
There's no fixed expiry, but it reflects site conditions at the time of assessment. Vegetation grows and neighbouring properties change, so surveyors and shires generally want a current one. If yours is a few years old, expect to need it redone.
No. A BAL is a rating for a specific building site that determines construction standards. A Bushfire Management Plan is a broader document, usually required for planning approvals and subdivisions, covering how bushfire risk will be managed across the site. We'll be offering management plans from 2027.
Tell us about your project and we'll be in touch the moment we're taking BAL bookings.
Register Your Interest