Agilus

Agilus Agilus provides a wide range of services including disaster management, bushfire risk assessments and training development and delivery.

First-aid fire protection equipment — portable fire extinguishers, hose reels, knapsack spray pumps — is a standard requ...
04/09/2026

First-aid fire protection equipment — portable fire extinguishers, hose reels, knapsack spray pumps — is a standard requirement at most industrial facilities. For BESS projects, however, the selection of that equipment requires specific consideration.

CFA's June 2025 guideline is clear: CFA does not advocate the use of non-certified fire extinguishers on lithium-ion batteries involved in fire. This position is drawn from CSIRO's Advisory Note on Extinguishment of Li-Ion Battery Fires.

The provision and placement of first-aid fire protection equipment at a BESS facility should be determined by the outcomes of the risk assessment process as documented in the Risk Management Plan — and must be supported by regular training in its appropriate, safe, and effective use.

Placement also needs to reflect the separation requirements and consequence zones identified in the Fire Safety Study or Risk Management Plan. Equipment that is located too close to BESS units may be inaccessible during an incident, or may place site personnel at risk if they attempt to use it.

First-aid fire protection is the last line of defence before emergency services arrive. Getting the selection, placement, and training right is part of a complete risk control framework.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

One of the most underappreciated aspects of CFA's requirements for renewable energy and BESS facilities is the ongoing v...
03/09/2026

One of the most underappreciated aspects of CFA's requirements for renewable energy and BESS facilities is the ongoing vegetation management obligation that comes with operating in Victoria's fire-prone landscape.

CFA's Design Guidelines require that fire breaks of 10 metres or greater are maintained around the perimeter of the facility and between any landscape buffer or vegetation screening and the infrastructure. These fire breaks need to be actively maintained — not simply established at construction and then neglected.

CFA's guideline specifically recommends that the Fire Management Plan detail vegetation management activities, including the maintenance of fire breaks, slashing schedules, and the management of grass and groundcover to appropriate fuel loads during the fire danger period.

Radiant heat calculations from the consequence analysis in the Risk Management Plan inform the Fire Management Plan — establishing the evidence base for what fuel loads are acceptable at what distances from the BESS and other infrastructure.

For operators of BESS facilities in Victoria, vegetation management is a year-round commitment, not a seasonal afterthought. The Fire Management Plan is the document that keeps it structured and auditable.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

CFA's position on separation distances between BESS units is one of the most technically specific requirements in its Ju...
02/09/2026

CFA's position on separation distances between BESS units is one of the most technically specific requirements in its June 2025 guideline — and one that has significant implications for site layout design.

Applying non-BESS specific standards in isolation to determine minimum separation distances between BESS units, or between BESS units and other electrical infrastructure, is not acceptable to CFA.

The standards specifically called out as insufficient for this purpose include AS 2067-2016 (substations and high voltage installations), AS 1530.4-2014 (fire tests on building materials and structures), and IEEE Std 979-2012 (guide for substation fire protection). None of these standards effectively account for the potential for thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries when determining separation distances.

CFA's requirement is that separation must be at least the distance where radiant heat flux from a fully involved BESS unit does not create the potential for injury during site egress, or ignition of adjacent BESS units, on-site and off-site buildings, substations, transformers, the site boundary, or vegetation.

That determination requires consequence modelling specific to the proposed BESS unit and site — not a table lookup from a standard written for a different hazard type.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

01/09/2026

From above, you can see the thing that defines fire risk for so many Australian towns: the bush doesn't stop at the town boundary. It runs right up to the back fences, the main street, the aged care home, the school.

Communities like this one live at the bushland–urban interface — where a fire in the surrounding vegetation quickly becomes a fire risk to homes, businesses and critical facilities. Planning for that reality is not something you do once the smoke is on the horizon. It's the assessment, the emergency plan and the warden training that happen well before the season starts.

Agilus works with councils, businesses and facility managers to understand their exposure and put practical emergency management plans in place. If your town or site sits close to bush, now is the time to look at it.

One of the most important principles in CFA's approach to BESS fire safety is the insistence on credible worst-case scen...
01/09/2026

One of the most important principles in CFA's approach to BESS fire safety is the insistence on credible worst-case scenario analysis — and understanding what that phrase actually means in practice.

CFA is explicit that fire safety studies should not discount or exclude potential credible incident scenarios where there are known incidents nationally or globally. That means if a failure mode has occurred at a BESS facility anywhere in the world, it is a credible scenario that must be assessed — regardless of how unlikely it might seem at a specific site.

The consequence analysis in a Fire Safety Study must therefore consider scenarios where in-built BESS fire and explosion safety systems both succeed and fail. It must model the potential for fire propagation without fire protection measures in place. And it must account for what happens when a fire and the site's safety systems interact in ways that may not reduce the hazard — for example, where suppressing a fire burning off-gas creates a risk of flammable gas accumulation and explosion.

Planning for worst-case outcomes produces designs that are genuinely resilient, not just compliant on paper. That is the standard CFA is applying, and it is the standard Agilus works to.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

In CFA's framework for large-scale BESS projects, the Emergency Plan is explicitly identified as one of the key risk con...
31/08/2026

In CFA's framework for large-scale BESS projects, the Emergency Plan is explicitly identified as one of the key risk controls for the facility — alongside the Fire Management Plan.

That classification matters. A risk control is something that actively reduces risk. It needs to be effective, maintained, tested, and reviewed — not filed away after approval.

CFA's approach to Emergency Plans for BESS facilities reflects this. CFA recommends development in accordance with AS 3745-2010 and CFA's own Design Guidelines, with CFA actively involved in the development and review process. An Emergency Planning Committee should be established that meets regularly and includes CFA and other relevant local authorities.

CFA also recommends that developers select BESS manufacturers and suppliers who provide 24/7 specialist technical support during emergencies, are able to provide in-person on-site support when needed, and supply detailed emergency response guides specific to their system.

The Emergency Plan informs what happens on the day of an incident. Getting it right means getting CFA involved from the start of its development — not presenting it for sign-off at the end.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

Understanding when a Fire Safety Study is actually required helps developers plan their projects more accurately — and a...
28/08/2026

Understanding when a Fire Safety Study is actually required helps developers plan their projects more accurately — and avoid over-scoping early-stage work.

CFA's guideline is explicit: a Fire Safety Study is only requested following review of a Risk Management Plan, and only for large-scale BESS over 1MWh where the design, capacity, complexity, location, or proposed operations necessitate an enhanced, detailed analysis of fire and explosion safety systems.

The factors that are most likely to trigger a Fire Safety Study request from CFA include proximity of the BESS to sensitive receptors such as dwellings, schools, hospitals, or community facilities; unusual site characteristics such as difficult access or proximity to high-hazard bushfire terrain; high total site capacity; complex multi-technology arrangements; or proposed operations that introduce additional ignition risks.

Where a Fire Safety Study is requested, it must follow CFA's prescribed 10-part structure — covering facility description, hazard identification, consequence analysis, fire and explosion prevention, detection and protection systems, fire water demand and supply, fire water management, first-aid fire protection, emergency planning considerations, and recommendations.

Agilus prepares Fire Safety Studies that are built to CFA's structure and technical expectations.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

The Fire Management Plan is one of the two key operational risk controls CFA requires for large-scale BESS facilities — ...
27/08/2026

The Fire Management Plan is one of the two key operational risk controls CFA requires for large-scale BESS facilities — alongside the Emergency Plan.

Where the Risk Management Plan identifies and justifies risk controls at the design stage, the Fire Management Plan documents how those controls are maintained throughout the operational life of the facility.

Under CFA's Design Guidelines, the Fire Management Plan specifically covers the inspection and maintenance requirements for fire safety systems, access roads, and vegetation management.

That last element — vegetation management — is particularly important for renewable energy facilities in Victoria. Fire breaks need to be maintained at the correct width, access roads kept clear, and grass and groundcover managed to appropriate standards throughout the fire danger period.

A Fire Management Plan that is prepared at commissioning and then not reviewed or updated is not meeting CFA's intent. It should be a live operational document, actively maintained and tied to the facility's ongoing maintenance programme.

Agilus prepares Fire Management Plans that are practical, operational, and built to last beyond approval day.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

Design Guidelines and Model Requirements for Renewable Energy Facilities make the purpose of the Risk Management Plan cl...
26/08/2026

Design Guidelines and Model Requirements for Renewable Energy Facilities make the purpose of the Risk Management Plan clear: it must form the basis for the design of the facility.

That means the Risk Management Plan is not something produced after design decisions have been made to justify what has already been decided. It is the document that informs those decisions — and any modification to the model requirements contained within it must be made in consultation with CFA.

Specifically, the Risk Management Plan must describe the infrastructure and landscape of the facility, describe the risks and hazards to and from the renewable energy infrastructure, specify and justify the location of the facility, access arrangements, firefighting water supply, fire break widths, and separation distances — and provide an evidence-based determination that the proposed risk controls are effective against the identified hazards.

Getting this document right is the single most important early step in a CFA-regulated BESS project. Agilus builds Risk Management Plans that are thorough, evidence-based, and structured to hold up to CFA review.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

CFA's approach to fire safety for large-scale battery storage projects is built around a clear hierarchy of four documen...
25/08/2026

CFA's approach to fire safety for large-scale battery storage projects is built around a clear hierarchy of four documents, each with a distinct purpose and a specific point in the project lifecycle where it applies.

The Risk Management Plan is the foundational document. It identifies hazards, proposes and justifies risk controls, and informs the design of the facility. It is relevant from the planning and design stage onward.

The Fire Management Plan is a key operational risk control. It documents the arrangements to maintain fire risk controls throughout the life of the facility — covering inspection, maintenance, and vegetation management. It becomes relevant from construction and commissioning.

The Emergency Plan is the other key operational risk control. It documents emergency arrangements for the facility and is developed in accordance with AS 3745-2010 and CFA's Design Guidelines.

The Fire Safety Study sits alongside the Risk Management Plan but is only requested by CFA for complex projects over 1MWh. It provides an enhanced, detailed analysis of fire and explosion safety systems where the Risk Management Plan alone is not sufficient.

Agilus helps developers understand which documents apply to their project and at what stage — before the question becomes a problem.

www.agilus.com.au
+61 439 289 234
[email protected]

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Traralgon, VIC
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