Property Maintenance
Get your block cut to the shire's requirements and cleared properly before the season turns. Book a free quote and we'll come and look at it.
Everything that reduces fuel load and gets you past the notice.
Long grass, scrub and regrowth cut back across paddocks, verges and open ground. The bulk of the fuel load on most Hills blocks is grass, and it's the fastest thing to get away from you in a dry spring.
Cut to the width, clearance and placement your local government's notice requires. Bring the notice to the quote and we'll go through it with you rather than guessing at it.
The areas a slasher can't reach. Up against the house, sheds, tanks, fences and gas bottles, where machinery won't fit but fuel still builds up.
A properly managed buffer between the vegetation and the buildings, which is the ground firefighters need if they're going to defend the place.
Leaf litter in gutters is one of the most common ways a house catches. Ember attack arrives well before any fire front does, and a full gutter is exactly what it's looking for.
Cut material taken off site rather than left in a pile. A heap of dry slashings sitting in the corner of the block hasn't reduced your fuel load, it's just moved it.
Every Hills shire issues an annual firebreak notice. It sets out what has to be cleared, to what width, by what date, and what it'll cost you if it isn't done.
The requirements differ between shires and sometimes between properties, depending on size and what's on them. We work to whatever yours says.
The notice is a minimum, not a risk assessment. It's a standard applied across thousands of properties, and it doesn't know about your slope, your access, or the gully running up the back of your block.
We'll clear to the notice, and we'll also tell you where your block's actual risk sits differently from what the notice covers. What you do with that is up to you, but you'll know.
From first enquiry to a cleared block.
Pick a time from the calendar. Two minutes.
Access, slope, fuel load, structures and what your notice is asking for.
Scope spelled out, valid 30 days. No surprises later.
Booked in, done, waste taken away. You get your block back.
A single clear when you need it. Good if you've just bought the place, you're getting on top of a block that's got away from you, or you're preparing to sell.
Fuel load comes back every year, and so does the notice. An annual arrangement means it's booked, scheduled and done before the deadline without you having to think about it.
It also means you get a slot in spring, which is worth more than it sounds when everyone else is ringing around in the last fortnight.
Based in the Perth Hills, working across the Great Southern, and travelling elsewhere in WA.
Somewhere else in WA? Ask anyway. We travel.
It helps, because you can tell us what you want done and we can talk through what your notice is asking for. But it isn't essential. If you can't be there, let us know at booking and we'll walk the block and send the quote through.
It depends on the size of the block, how thick it's grown, the slope, and how much access there is for machinery. That's why we come out and look rather than quoting over the phone. The quote is free and there's no obligation.
Earlier than you think. Spring is when every Hills property owner looks at their block at once, and the last few weeks before the deadline get very tight. Booking early means you pick the date rather than taking what's left.
We can take green waste off site so it isn't sitting on the property as fuel. It's quoted as part of the job, so you'll know what's included before we start.
Not in-house. On larger clearing jobs we can bring in a qualified arborist and manage it as part of the work, so you're not chasing two contractors. We'll tell you at the quote if that's what your block needs.
No, and we won't tell you otherwise. Clearing reduces fuel load and gives firefighters ground they can work from, which materially changes how a fire behaves when it reaches your boundary. It doesn't eliminate risk, and it isn't a substitute for having a bushfire plan and leaving early.
Free quote, no obligation. We'll walk the block 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