Fire Damage Residue Testing in Perth

Bushfires on the Perth Hills fringe

The edges of Perth have a recent fire record. The Wooroloo bushfire in the Perth Hills in 2021 destroyed 86 homes and burnt more than 10,000 hectares, and the State Government released the independent review on 29 March 2022 (DFES, Wooroloo review).

Ten years earlier, on 5 and 6 February 2011, fires hit Roleystone and Kelmscott in the south-east and Red Hill, Herne Hill, Millendon, Baskerville and Gidgegannup in the north-east (AIDR, Perth Hills 2011). Homes that did not burn in events like these can still take in smoke and ash through roof spaces, vents and cooling systems. Testing shows whether residue reached the indoor surfaces people use every day. Our bushfire season guide covers the background.

Where testing fits after DFES has left a Perth site

In WA, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services coordinates incident response and control and plans for state hazards. Once the emergency is over and the site is released, the questions change. Owners, tenants and insurers want to know which rooms carry residue, whether contents can be kept and whether cleaning has worked.

Test Australia answers those questions with measured results. It does not decide what is replaced, repaired or paid for. Those decisions sit with the owner, the insurer and whoever the owner engages. Whether a tribunal, court or insurer relies on a report is a decision for them. Our fire damage insurance guide explains how reports are used in claims.

Common fire residue requests around Perth

Common requests include:

• a house fire where smoke travelled through the ceiling space into rooms the flames never reached
• a Hills property downwind of a bushfire, with ash on sills and inside cupboards
• a kitchen or appliance fire in a rental, where the landlord and tenant want the same record
• contents such as furniture or clothing where the owner needs to know what residue is on them (see contents and salvage)
• a check after a restorer has finished, before the household moves back

How Perth fire residue results are read

Test Australia's suitably qualified occupational hygienists collect wipes or tape lifts for soot, char and ash. Where the scope calls for it, samples are also analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, explained in our PAH testing guide. An independent laboratory does the analysis, and the report names the laboratory and states any accreditation that applies. Test Australia itself is not NATA-accredited.

The report states which criterion it compares each result with and why it was chosen. Reports are available within 5 business days of the laboratory results being received. The national fire damage testing page and fire contamination assessment describe the method in more depth.

Testing separate from the Perth restorer

Test Australia does not clean, restore or take referral fees from restorers. A first round before work starts shows where residue sits and gives the restorer and insurer a shared baseline. A second round after the work shows what remains on comparable surfaces. Tell us whether any cleaning has already happened and whether air-conditioning ran during or after the fire, as both change what samples can show.

Read why Test Australia does not remediate, or see the types of assessment work it takes on.

Attending fire-affected properties in Perth

Metropolitan Perth, including the Hills suburbs, is attended in person, and regional properties are by arrangement. The site must be released and safe to enter before sampling. If a vehicle was also caught in smoke or a nearby fire, ask about it when you enquire. For other services in the city, see testing in Perth or drug residue testing in Perth.

From a Perth fire to a residue report

1. Describe the fire. Tell us whether it was a structure fire or bushfire smoke, which rooms are affected, and whether the site has been released for entry.
2. Set the scope. The written fee proposal covers the rooms, contents and analytes, such as PAH, and whether the round comes before or after cleaning.
3. Collect surface samples. Wipes and tape lifts are taken from affected and comparison surfaces, with cooling systems and roof spaces noted where relevant.
4. Laboratory analysis. Samples go under chain of custody to an independent laboratory for the analyses in scope.
5. Signed residue report. Results are set against the criterion the report names, with the reasons for that choice and the limits of the work.

Fire damage testing questions in Perth