 The National Construction Code, or NCC, is a performance-based code. It requires minimum levels of fire safety for all buildings. One way to verify that the relevant fire safety performance requirements in NCC Volume 1 are met is to use the Fire Safety Verification Method, or FSVM. The verification method can be used for all building classifications covered by NCC Volume 1. The verification method is outlined in Schedule 7 of the NCC. The verification method provides a robust framework and quantifiable benchmark. The verification method can be used to demonstrate compliance of a performance solution for multiple fire safety performance requirements in NCC Volume 1. The relevant fire safety performance requirements are found in Section C, Fire Resistance, Section D, Access and egress, and Section E, Services and Equipment. Using the verification method, a DTS or another performance solution is the decision of the building design team. Remember, the verification method is just one way of developing fire safety solutions. The level of fire safety achieved using this verification method must be at least equivalent to the relevant NCC Volume 1 fire safety DTS provisions. The verification method sets out a process to develop a performance solution for fire safety. The process includes 12 design scenarios. They are used to determine if a building meets the relevant fire safety performance requirements. Each design scenario must consider one or more locations in the building to capture the range of reasonable possibilities in relation to the threat to safety. The 12 different design scenarios and their associated references are BE Fire Blocks Evacuation Route UT Fire in a normally unoccupied room threatens occupants of other rooms. CS Fire Starts in Concealed Space SF Smoldering Fire HS Horizontal Fire Spread VS Vertical Fire Spread Involving Cladding or Arrangement of Openings in Walls IS Fire Spread Involving Internal Finishes FI Fire Brigade Intervention UF Unexpected Catastrophic Failure SCF Challenging Fire RC Robustness Check SS Structural Stability and Other Properties All scenarios need to be compared to a reference building that complies fully with the DTS provisions to verify that the proposed performance solution complies with the relevant performance requirements through equivalence with the DTS provisions. The design of the reference building should be as close as possible to that of the actual proposed building that the verification method is being applied to and in full compliance with the DTS provisions. The performance solution for the proposed building needs to be equal to or better than the DTS compliant reference building. This provides a benchmark for comparing the performance solutions being verified through using the verification method. The ABCB Handbook about the Fire Safety Verification Method sets out how to define a reference building based on a DTS solution to provide a benchmark for comparison. It also sets out key principles to assist with selecting an appropriate reference building. The process for applying the verification method can be broken down into three key stages. The first stage is developing the Performance-Based Design Brief, or PBDB, as outlined in part A2.24 of the governing requirements. The second stage is developing the Performance-Based Design Risk Assessment. These two stages are then combined to form the Performance-Based Design Report, the third stage. The purpose of the report is to document how the proposed performance solution complies with the relevant Fire Safety Performance Requirements. Note that the verification method must only be used by suitably qualified and experienced practitioners. They must have demonstrated their competency in fire safety engineering, be proficient in the use of fire engineering modelling methods, and be familiar with fire testing and validation of computational data. It is the role of the appropriate authority, most commonly the building surveyor, to make the judgement of whether the relevant performance requirements are met. The fire services will be a participant in the verification method process, regardless of which state or territory the relevant building is located. The verification method handbook is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to fire safety. The International Fire Engineering Guidelines, or IFEG, provides more comprehensive guidelines on fire safety engineering. The verification method can be used in part on a project. When using the verification method in part, every scenario relevant to the performance requirements being addressed by the performance solution must be assessed. Supporting materials to assist practitioners using the verification method have been developed by the ABCB. These include a handbook, supporting data sheets, FAQs and videos. Learn more about the verification method at abcb.gov.au