subject: The Emergency Fire Shelter And Hot Weather [print this page] With the advent of every summer comes the renewed threat of bush fires. For those of us living in outer suburban or rural environments the warming weather reminds us that it is time to review our fire safety plans.
In my home state of Victoria, a place with an unfortunate bush fire history, these plans can be formulated with the local fire brigade who not only hold town meetings on fire safety but will send a representative around to your property to advise on specific things you as a home owner can do to safe guard your possessions and loved ones.
These plans include such measures as removing flammable liquids, clearing a fire break, removing trees and shrubs that are likely to burn freely, establishing an adequate water supply and planting a screen of slow burning evergreens on the properties perimeter.
You should consider whether you are capable of coping with the stress of fighting a major fire. For those of us who don't think they are up to the task, we should plan to leave the threatened area as soon as the risk becomes apparent.
It is held by authorities that a home with an advanced fire protection plan is the best place to shelter during an advancing fire and that any escape measures should be taken well in advance of any approaching fire to avoid being caught in your vehicle which offers little protection.
This policy has been in place in Victoria for many years but last summer was found wanting when an unprecedented bush fire destroyed a number of rural communities.
It is suggested by some global warming advocates that the conditions that led to Black Saturday will become more common as the world heats up. Many people are now calling for new planning measures to be put in place.
Bush fire shelters are just one of the measures now being looked at. Like the tornado cellars of our U.S.cousins, bush fire refuges are being considered by more private home owners as a reasonable response to the bush fire threat.
At the moment there is no established building standard for bush fire shelters in this country which means those that are commercially available can vary widely in price, quality and sophistication. Years ago a shelter might have been nothing more than a hole in the ground, lined with logs and then buried under some dirt but there were many instances where these make shift bunkers were sadly inadequate.
In comparison the most expensive shelters today are manufactured using reinforced concrete with fire rated steel doors and fitted with independent power sources, air filtering systems and comprehensive first aid kits which are then buried after being tested to determine their weight carrying capacity in case a fire truck accidentally parks on top of it. These sorts of shelters do not come cheaply but for some people cannot put a price on their family's safety.
Below this standard of shelter the consumers choices start to widen and as mentioned before, with no established building standard care must be taken as to the level of safety provided by each type. For example there are a number of proprietors currently offering shipping containers and water tanks featuring various modifications that might satisfy some buyers.
Before purchasing any sort of shelter you must consider the level of threat you might reasonably face. For instance a shipping container might be able to withstand the radiant heat of a grass fire out in a paddock but be unable to withstand the intense convection heat generated by a fierce forest fire.
While the fire shelter debate goes on I am sure that many of us will go ahead and install some form of shelter. With that thought in mind my closing comment is for anyone considering their own fire shelter - fire bunker, to buy the best that they can afford and to do as much research as possible.
