Fire Hazard Ratings for Powerlines
Under Section 80 of the Electricity Safety Act 1998, CFA
and MFB assign low and high fire hazard ratings to the Country
Area of Victoria and to portions of the Metropolitan Fire
District. The low and high fire hazard ratings are utilised
to prescribe low and hazardous bushfire risk areas for the
Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations
2005, Electricity Safety (Installations) Regulations 1999
and Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation) Regulations
2003.
The low and hazardous bushfire risk areas affect the extent of
vegetation clearance adjacent to overhead electric lines under
the Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2005.
Authorities responsible for the maintenance of these clearance
spaces include electricity distribution businesses, municipal councils
and private land owners. Under the Electricity Safety (Installations)
Regulations 1999, a private electric line to be constructed or
substantially reconstructed must be placed underground except that
overhead private electric lines may be constructed or substantially
reconstructed in low bushfire risk areas.
Fire hazard ratings contrast significantly with Bushfire
Prone Areas (BPAs) and Wildfire Management Overlays (WMOs) and
have been developed explicitly for different legislative requirements.
Download
the Fire Hazard Ratings for Powerlines document (pdf
27k)
 Order a Fire Hazard Ratings for Powerlines Interactive DVD-ROM
CFA, MFB and Energy Safe Victoria have produced a DVD-ROM
entitled Fire Hazard Ratings Assigned under the Electricity
Safety Act 1998. CD-ROMs are also available for the West
and East of the State. The DVD-ROM is interactive, and as
well as providing background information, enables the user
to locate a fire hazard rating for a particular parcel of
land.
Copies of the DVD-ROM are available free of charge. Simply
email your
details here, including name, mailing address
and postcode, and a DVD-ROM will be sent out to you.
Further Information
Links
Electrical Safety Regulator
Energy Safe Victoria (incorporating the former Office of
the Chief Electrical Inspector (OCEI))
www.esv.vic.gov.au
Fire Control Authorities (or Fire and Emergency Service
Organisations)
Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB)
www.mfb.org.au
Electricity Distribution Businesses
Powercor Australia Ltd
www.powercor.com.au
SP AusNet (incorporating the former TXU)
www.sp-ausnet.com.au
Alinta Network Services Ltd
www.alinta.net.au
The Australian Gas Light Company (AGL) (through Agility
Management)
www.agility.net.au
Legislative Documents
Electricity Safety Act 1998
Electricity Safety (Installations) Regulations 1999
Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation) Regulations 2003
Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations
2005
www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au
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