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Level of study: Microcredentials

Summary

As Australia’s fire season becomes hotter and longer, it’s vital we build houses that can withstand these conditions.

This Melbourne MicroCert will equip you with the ability to undertake bushfire assessments of residential properties and provide building recommendations in line with Australian standards.

You will be led by practitioners from the University of Melbourne’s School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, who will share their expert knowledge and industry insight. You will be guided through relevant definitions and methods and apply your knowledge to a series of locations around Australia.

This is the first Melbourne MicroCert in the Building in Bushfire Prone Lands series, which is designed to provide detailed insights into how effective building design can make living in fire-prone landscapes more sustainable.

Who is it for?

This Melbourne MicroCert is valuable for land managers and professionals seeking an understanding of how domestic buildings respond to bushfire in a planned environment context.

It is ideal for various roles, including those working in conservation and land management, natural areas technicians, rangers, bushland officers, landscape supervisors, building designers, urban planners, architects, fire managers and developers working in compliance or government agencies.

Key topics

Throughout this Melbourne MicroCert, you will cover basic assessment procedures using Australian Standard AS3959-2018. You will explore how to:

Assess vegetation type using desktop research
Perform topographic analysis using GIS
Assess a site based on regional fire weather differences using online data
Develop alternate approaches for a building site based on vegetation and slope
Undertake desktop assessments of bushfire exposure
Report on findings and recommendations in a clear concise manner.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this Melbourne MicroCert, you will have demonstrated your ability to:

Apply a basic property assessment using the Australian Standard AS3959:2018
Provide recommendations for a residential building based on the AS3959 assessment.

Learning experience

In our innovative online environment, you will learn alongside other industry professionals and undertake both guided and self-guided learning tasks, including video demonstrations, independent exercises and interactive class activities. Fully online delivery presents a convenient way to develop your skillset, from a location that suits you.

Pathways to further study

Assessment of Bushfire Exposure can be taken as a standalone Melbourne MicroCert, or you can complement it with any other Melbourne MicroCert in the Building in Bushfire Prone Lands series.

Assessment of Bushfire Exposure is also designed to provide a pathway – otherwise known as advanced standing – into the Graduate Certificate in Bushfire Planning and Management.

To use Assessment of Bushfire Exposure in this way, you will need to complete all four Melbourne MicroCerts in the Building in Bushfire Prone Lands series, as each one is equivalent to one quarter of a standard subject, and then apply for credit towards the Graduate Certificate in Bushfire Planning and Management.

Click here for more details on this course.