Build A Fire Shelter Plus Where To Obtain Details Concerning Build A Fire Shelter

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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.

The stay or go policy has been in effect in Victoria for the last few decades and until recently had served us relatively well but last summer we experienced a wild fire of unprecedented ferocity which claimed many lives and destroyed many millions of dollars worth of property.

While this fire was unique in coming at the end of ten years of drought, on a forty-two degree celsius day and fanned by winds of over one hundred kilometers an hour it is feared that global warming will create conditions similar to that fateful day on a much more regular basis. This has led to the review of our bush fire policies and many people are calling for new 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.

The debate surrounding these shelters is still going on and should be evaluated before going ahead and building one. Commercial shelters can vary widely because there is no established construction standard. The make shift log and dirt bunkers of the past were often considered adequate but there have been many instances unfortunately were this was not the case.

Today it is possible to purchase a shelter manufactured with reinforced concrete, fire rated steel and outfitted with first aid kits, independent water supplies and air filtering mechanisms. This level of safety does come at a price however.

For those of us whose budgets are more constrained the market produces other shelters but with no building standards in place a great deal of care should be taken before purchasing any thing. Some retailers are currently offering the market modified shipping containers and water tanks which may or may not be adequate for many residents.

The two things to consider before investing in a shelter is the level of threat you will face and whether it can comfortably shelter everyone who might need it. The differing threat levels mentioned could be that between a grass fire burning across farmland and that generated by a fire burning in a dense forest environment.

While the debate over the effectiveness of fire shelters continues there is no doubt that those of us living in high fire danger areas will keep a close watch and many of us will go ahead and install some form of shelter. My advice in that case is to aim for the highest quality shelter that you can afford and do plenty of research before hand.

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