Value

Lavarack Barracks are a major Australian Army base located in Townsville, QLD. It is home to the Army's 3rd and 11th Brigades. The barracks are named after Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack, an Australian Army officer during both World Wars and Governor of Queensland from 1946 to 1957. MBC Group are proud to have been engaged to provide our certification and consultancy services for the ADF.

The project scope provided building upgrades and the rationalisation of the Smoke Detection and Alarm (SDA) system at Lavarack Barracks. It targeted buildings where the SDA was not required under the provisions of NCC, and where the current use did not require the system under the MFPE. The intent was to reduce ongoing maintenance costs for buildings that do not require a detection system in accordance with the latest MFPE and NCC documentation. This targeted approach allowed the decommissioning of the system in accordance with the DEEP Guidance for the Removal of Fire Alarm and Detection Systems. Building approval together with OC can be issued for such works upon completion, once it has been established that the removal is compliant.

The scope of work for the removal of the fire alarm systems consisted of removing the detection system installed in selected buildings with the following upgrades:

- Remediating identified non-conformances with NCC fire compliance

- Upgrading Fire Rating Level (FRL) to several areas

- New fire door systems

- Passive fire protection systems

- New detection systems

- Occupancy alarms

- Egress upgrades

- Compliant egress exits

- Localised upgrades to Fire Indicator Panels (FIP)

- Fire penetrations audit

The challenge and MBC Group's role:

A site audit of 38 existing buildings in Queensland requiring inspections over a consecutive five-day period needed careful logistical planning due to the site location.

Working closely with the fire engineer, the audit would determine the feasibility of removing and decommissioning the SDA. A single report was prepared for the process which itemised the requirements for each building. It was found that thirty-one buildings needed our advice in terms of compliance with the NCC and MFPE.

To aid the planning of works and ultimate issuance of Building Approvals a regulatory checklist for each of the 31 buildings was issued. MBC Group undertook desktop reviews of construction documentation during the construction phase.

MBC Group's contribution as a building certification advisor and certifier was a significant contribution to the success of the Lavarack Barracks Fire System Rationalisation project. Our close collaboration with Aurecon and the project team, underpinned by our expertise in regulatory compliance around fire engineering solutions, demonstrates our capability and commitment to excellence.